


Book 1: Teamwork

by BlairArden



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Friendship, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlairArden/pseuds/BlairArden
Summary: Seven years after defeating Kuvira and restoring balance to the world, Korra had been able to enjoy a mostly easy, incident-free existence with her girlfriend, Asami. This peace would be interrupted, however, when, at the beginning of the new year, Korra finds that she is no longer the only Avatar in the physical world.
Relationships: Aang/Azula (Avatar), Baatar Jr./Original Character(s), Baatar Sr./Suyin Beifong, Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Bumi II/Izumi (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Kuvira (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Kya II (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Iroh II, Mako (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Roku/Ta Min (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Kanto
Comments: 25
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All recognizable content is the property of Nickelodeon and the creators/writers/owners of the Avatar franchise.
> 
> Differences from Avatar Canon Include:  
> \- Family/Relationship changes  
> \- Timeline shifted back ten years (Aang dies in 143).  
> \- Harmonic Convergence Occurred in 145: All new airbenders were nonbenders born in the year 145, the same year as Opal  
> \- Minor detail changes
> 
> Other Notes:  
> \- Changes POV throughout story  
> \- Includes flashbacks

Suyin smiled as she looked around the breakfast table at her family. On her left sat her husband, Baatar. Continuing around the circular table were her second-oldest son, Huan, her third-oldest child and only daughter, Opal, Opal's boyfriend, Bolin, who was visiting for a few days, and her youngest sons, twins Wing and Wei. Her adoptive daughter, Kuvira, was currently working with Avatar Korra as part of her reintegration into society after showing genuine remorse for her forceful attempted takeover of the Earth Kingdom and being deemed adequately rehabilitated during her prison sentence, over half of which was spent in house arrest. While Su and her family had trouble trusting Kuvira at first, Kuvira had managed to prove herself and had truly established her place as part of the family.

Su noticed that more family members than just Kuvira were missing. Her oldest son, Baatar Jr., and his wife, Rina, both of whom had been given three weeks off of work for New Year's celebrations, were also absent from the table.

"Are Junior and Rina still sleeping?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice, as both Baatar Jr. and Rina were typically early-risers. The fact that Rina hadn't been feeling well the night before didn't ease Su's mind either.

"I think Rina might be sick again," Opal informed worriedly. "I heard someone throwing up earlier."

"Oh, dear," Su remarked sympathetically. "I'll just have someone send a tray up later."

Just as the rest of the family started breakfast, Rina arrived.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully, her face looking slightly pale.

"Good morning, dear," Su said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better actually, thanks," Rina responded with a smile.

"Is Junior okay?" Wei asked worriedly. "Was he the one throwing up?"

While Wei and Baatar Jr. hadn't been close due to the latter's decision to join Kuvira, after the Beifong siblings had been kidnapped six years ago, they had grown quite close.

* * *

_Summer 165_

"I can't believe they just dumped us here," Wing complained, wiping some of the mud off his face.

"It could be worse," Opal said in a falsely cheerful voice. "We could be stuck with Junior... Oh, wait."

All of the other Beifong siblings turned in unison to glare at Baatar Jr., who simply sighed and looked down guiltily.

As the siblings weren't the primary objects of the attack, their kidnappers simply dropped them in the swamp, knowing that they wouldn't have any way out. Luckily, they had been taken while they were on their way to Republic City to avoid the increasing violence against Zaofu nobility, so they had some of their belongings with them. The siblings had decided that their best option was to find their grandmother, Toph Beifong, who had been living in the swamp for several years now.

"If you keep going this slow, we're going to leave you behind," Wei threatened Baatar Jr., who was struggling to navigate his wheelchair over the mud and rocks. "I swear you're doing this on purpose."

"I am not," Baatar Jr. insisted, attempting to defend himself. "The terrain's just really difficult, and I'm not feeling too well."

"Oh, no! Poor Junior's not feeling well," Wing mocked. "You know, there was this one time when Wei, Huan, Mom, Dad, and I weren't feeling well either... When you had us thrown in prison."

"Sorry," Baatar Jr. mumbled guiltily.

The siblings walked in relative silence for a few more hours before it was clear that they wouldn't be finding their grandmother anytime soon.

"I say we camp out for the night," Wing suggested with a yawn.

"Agreed," said Wei, immediately dumping his pack on the floor.

After several minutes, everyone had had something to eat and was ready for bed. Each person, with the exception of Opal and Baatar Jr., had used earthbending to build a tent for themselves. Huan had built Opal a tent, as she was an airbender, and it was decided that Baatar Jr., the only non-bender in the family, didn't deserve one.

A few hours after everyone had gone to bed, Wei began to hear noises. Emerging from his tent, he noticed that the sounds were coming from where Baatar Jr. was laying. Wei rolled his eyes angrily and stomped over to Baatar Jr. 

"Shut the fuck up, Junior!" Wei whisper-shouted at Baatar Jr., throwing a pebble at the pile of blankets. Just as Wei was about to throw more rocks, he realized that the noises didn't sound like Baatar Jr. at all. In fact, they sounded like a baby crying. Wei hesitantly walked over to Baatar Jr.'s makeshift bed, and lifted one of the blankets to find a tiny infant where twenty-four-year-old Baatar Jr. should have been. Clearly shocked to find his oldest brother as a baby, and being very much out of his comfort zone with babies, Wei simply let out a very loud scream.

"What the fuck, Wei?!" Wing shouted, looking half-asleep.

"What's going on?" Opal asked sleepily.

"Junior's a-a baby!" Wei responded, still feeling in shock.

"He's a _what?!_ " Wing said, looking very confused. Opal and Huan simply stared at Wei as though he was going crazy.

"Go check, if you don't believe me," Wei said frustratedly.

Huan lifted the blanket to find baby Baatar Jr. sniffling quietly. He gently lifted the tiny child in his arms.

"It's definitely Junior," Huan said simply. "Looks just like his baby pictures. Same birthmark on his arm."

"Why is he a baby?" Wing asked, now seeming wide awake.

"Grandma did say the swamp had magical powers," Opal said.

Wei scoffed. "She said it could help _guide_ you. How the fuck is Junior being a baby supposed to guide anyone?"

Baatar Jr. began crying again.

"What's wrong with him?" Wei asked, staring at the baby in disgust.

Huan rolled his eyes.

"He's a baby," he responded, gently rocking the baby in his arms. "He's probably cold or hungry or something."

"Well, give him a blanket. Feed him," Wing stated, as though this was an easy fix.

"He's definitely too young for anything we have," Huan said, trying to calm Baatar Jr. down.

"Can't we give him water or something? Just for now?" Wei asked in a whining voice.

"No," Huan huffed. "He can't be more than a few months old. Water could kill him."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Wei," Huan said warningly.

"Kidding, kidding," Wei said unconvincingly.

"Can't we mix something into the water, so he _can_ drink it?" Wing suggested.

"There are a few herbs that are safe for infants," informed Opal, who had an interest in plants and knew quite a lot about them. "I'll see if I have any in the kit I packed."

Luckily, Opal had some infant-safe herbs, which she crushed and mixed with a little bit of water. Huan carefully fed the mixture to the infant who quickly calmed down.

"Opal, you are officially my favorite sibling," Wei said, walking over to his tent. "Well, good night, everyone."

"Not so fast," Huan said, rolling his eyes. "We need to figure our a schedule for taking care of Junior."

Wing and Wei groaned simultaneously. "But Wei and I don't know anything about babies," Wing complained.

"I don't care," Opal said. "Huan and I are _not_ taking care of him ourselves, while you two just run around doing whatever you want."

"Fine," Wei grumbled. "Who gets to go first?"

"We can draw sticks," Opal suggested, breaking a branch into four different-sized pieces. "Shortest gets first shift, longest gets fourth."

"How long's each shift?" Wing asked, yawning.

"I think three hours," Opal responded. "There's no way he has a normal sleeping schedule yet."

After drawing sticks, Wei ended up with the first shift, Wing with the last, and Huan and Opal with second and third, respectively.

"What do I even do with him?" Wei whined as Huan placed Baatar Jr. in his arms and adjusted his hold. 

Huan sighed. "Just let him sleep on your chest," he suggested, walking back to his own tent. "Babies like that. Wake me up when he wakes up. Should be in a few hours."

With that, Huan promptly closed his tent, leaving Wei alone with Baatar Jr.

"I hate you," Wei grumbled at the infant, who simply blinked up at him.

Wei took his shirt off and carefully held Baatar Jr., wearing only the cloth diaper that he had been found in, against his chest before laying down on his back.

"Let's just try to get some sleep, and in a few hours, you'll be Huan's problem," Wei said with a yawn.

When Wei woke up, he still felt the warm weight of Baatar Jr. on his chest, however, he didn't here any crying to indicate that the baby had woken up. The only thing he could hear was birds chirping from outside the tent, indicating that it was already morning.

"You alright, buddy?" Wei asked the infant who was only just beginning to wake up.

Baby Baatar Jr. gurgled in response, before placing his fist in his mouth.

"Let's go get Huan," Wei said, carefully standing up. "He can feed you."

Wei left his tent to find that everyone else had already woken up.

"I was about to go check on you two," Huan said. "Why didn't you come get me?"

"We just woke up," Wei said.

"He didn't wake up in the middle of the night?" Opal asked, sounding surprised.

"Nope," Wei responded. "I don't think so anyway."

Baatar Jr. was now frantically sucking on his fist, beginning to get quite fussy.

"He's probably hungry again," Huan said, gently taking the infant from Wei to feed him some of the fresh mixture that Opal had made a few minutes earlier.

"You know, as much as adult Junior's a pain in the ass, baby Junior's pretty sweet," Wei remarked. "We just cuddled the whole night."

"That's so cute," Wing squealed, smiling at Baatar Jr.

"Still don't understand what this is supposed to teach us, though," Wei remarked.

While Huan finished feeding Baatar Jr. and laid him down on a pile of blankets for some playtime, Opal, Wing, and Wei attempted to make some baby toys.

"We made a rattle," Opal said proudly, handing Huan a rattle made of twigs, small pebbles, and some spare metal.

"It looks terrible," Huan said, staring unimpressed at the makeshift toy.

"Well, why don't you make the toys, then, Mr. Artist?" Wei scoffed, walking over to Baatar Jr. "I'll play with Junior."

"Hi, Baby Junior," Wei said in a high-pitched voice, causing his siblings to look at him in disgust. Baatar Jr.simply babbled while flailing his arms, turning his head in the direction of Wei's voice.

"His eyes don't seem to track at all," Huan informed everyone. "I'm not sure if that'll be a problem."

"He's fine," Wei assured simply. "Isn't that right, Baby Junior? You're just fine, huh?"

The other three siblings, however, seemed a bit more concerned.

"A baby his age should be able to track movement at least a little bit," Opal said.

"He _has_ had glasses for forever," Wing said. "But then again, he was already eight by the time Wei and I came along, so I'm not sure how old he was when he started to have eye problems."

"Quit worrying," Wei said, now lying on his back with Baatar Jr. laying on his chest, babbling happily while reaching for Wei's face. "Baby Junior is fine. And, even if he's not, he'll be back to normal soon enough."

Although they had all agreed to work together to look after baby Baatar Jr. in shifts, Wei had taken over all of the playtimes and naps, leaving the others with feedings and diaper changes. 

"Shouldn't a kid his age be sleeping more?" Wing asked, watching Wei and Baatar Jr. having their fourth playtime session of the day.

Huan shrugged. "He slept a lot last night."

"He's also super talkative for his age," Opal remarked, noting Baatar Jr.'s nearly constant babbling. "Most of the little ones at the Air Temple only start babbling like that when they're a bit older."

"Maybe he's just a little smarty pants. Aren't you, Junior?" Wei said, lying on his stomach and making funny faces at Baatar Jr. "Who's a little smarty pants? Junior is."

Baatar Jr. simply giggled in response.

A little bit after the sun had set, Wing fed and burped Baatar Jr. and attempted to lay him down to sleep, which did not go well.

"What's wrong, Baby Junior?" Wei asked, coming back after relieving himself deep in the woods. "What did mean old Wing do?"

Baatar Jr. tearfully babbled in response, making grabby hands as he reached out for Wei.

"Here, let me take you away from him," Wei said, immediately taking Baatar Jr. from his twin brother, cuddling the infant close to his chest.

"He could've just said he wanted to go to you," Wing said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Wei scoffed. "He was _trying_ to, but you weren't listening to him."

“First of all, he can’t talk,” Wing said angrily. “And second, you and I are _identical_!”

“We are _not_ ,” Wei argued. “He can obviously tell the difference.”

“Let’s just eat some dinner and go to bed,” Opal said, attempting to diffuse the impending argument.

After dinner, everyone went to their separate tents, with Wei bringing Baatar Jr. with him. 

When Wei woke up, he was shocked to find a small child, no older than two or three, large eyes staring at him behind a pair of round glasses. 

Wei screamed in surprise, causing the child to flinch slightly but continue staring at him nonetheless. 

“Erm,... who are you?” Wei asked, looking around for the infant that had been sleeping on his chest the night before.

“I’m Baatar Jr.,” the child said simply. “But my mommy and daddy just call me ‘Junior’. Who are you?”

Wei let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had not lost the infant version of his oldest brother, but still confused as to how quickly the child had grown.

“I’m Wei,” he answered. 

“Hi, Wei,” Baatar Jr. greeted politely. “Why am I here? Where are my mommy and daddy and brother?”

Wei noted that this meant that Baatar Jr. had only had one sibling at this point, meaning that he definitely couldn’t be older than six.

“Why are we in a tent? Where are you from? How did we get here?” Baatar Jr. continued rapidly, not pausing to allow Wei to answer any of these questions. “How long are we staying here? Are you gonna take me back home? Why--”

“Woah, woah, woah, there, buddy,” Wei said, lifting his hands up, finally remembering his voice. “Slow down.”

“But, you didn’t answer any of my questions,” Baatar Jr. pointed out with a sad look on his face.

“I’ll answer them soon. Okay, buddy?” Wei said gently, noticing the child’s tearful eyes. “Why don’t we get something to eat first? Are you hungry?”

Baatar Jr., who was now sucking his thumb, nodded.

“Alright, buddy,” Wei said, lifting the small child into his arms before opening the tent. “You’re pretty chatty for someone so small.” 

“Wow, looks like someone grew,” Opal remarked.

“Hi,” Baatar Jr. greeted with a smile, previous disappointment seemingly forgotten.

“Hi, sweetie,” Opal said enthusiastically. “How old are you?”

“Two years, ten months, and sixteen days,” Baatar Jr. answered after a few seconds, causing his siblings to stare at him in shock. After asking Baatar Jr. what the date was, the siblings found that two-year-old Baatar Jr. had, in fact, accurately stated how old he was to the day. 

“Have you been counting, little buddy?” Wing asked Baatar Jr. jokingly.

“No,” Baatar Jr. said simply, clearly not realizing that Wing was joking. “I just thought about it.”

“You’ve got quite the vocabulary for a two-year-old,” Opal pointed out. “Do you like to read?”

Baatar Jr. nodded enthusiastically. “I like to read.”

Wei scoffed and said “Nerd” under his breath.

“What does ‘nerd’ mean?” Baatar Jr. asked innocently, causing Wing to nearly choke.

“Erm, well, it’s… erm,” Wei stammered, clearly not expecting Baatar Jr. to hear him.

Opal glared at Wei before turning to Baatar Jr.

“‘Nerd’ is just what dumb people, like Wei, call people smarter than them,” she explained gently. 

“Oh,” Baatar Jr. said, seemingly satisfied with Opal’s explanation. “Okay.”

After eating breakfast, lunch, and learning everyone’s names, Baatar Jr. began getting tired.

“You ready for a nap, buddy?” Wei asked Baatar Jr. after his fifth yawn in the span of a few minutes. 

“I am not sleepy,” Baatar Jr. said, trying to seem convincing. 

“Come on, kiddo,” Wei insisted. “Even tiny geniuses like you need a nap every once in a while.”

Baatar Jr. huffed. “Will you take a nap with me?” he looked up at Wei with puppy-dog eyes.

“Of course,” Wei said immediately, despite telling everyone else that he would not, claiming that Baatar Jr. was old enough to nap on his own. “Let’s go lay down.”

After ten minutes, both Wei and Baatar Jr. were fast asleep on a pile of blankets. 

Opal chuckled, throwing a blanket over the pair. “So much for baby Junior not having Wei wrapped around his finger.”

“I can’t believe that kid’s only two,” Wing said, cleaning up after lunch. “I’m pretty sure two-year-olds shouldn’t be speaking full sentences yet.”

“None of the kids at the Air Temple were speaking like that at two,” Opal remarked. “He sounds like a squeaky, lispy six-year-old.”

“And the way he calculated exactly how old he was?” Wing said, sounding completely impressed. “I didn’t realize Junior was that smart as a kid. Wonder when his genius-ness wore off. When do you think, Huan?”

Huan simply stared off, looking slightly irritated.

“Junior’s always been smart. He still is,” he informed. “It’s just that no one ever really talks about it.”

“Excuse me?!” Opal said, confused and somewhat angry. “If he was oh so smart, he wouldn’t have gone with Kuvira, and betrayed all of us. Clearly, he’s not as smart as you seem to think. I don’t understand why you’re defending him.”

Huan simply sighed in response and walked away, effectively ending the conversation.

Luckily, when Wei and Baatar Jr. woke up from their nap, Opal’s anger had died down, and she was perfectly kind to the toddler.

The rest of the day had gone well, and the next morning, Baatar Jr. was, once again, a few years older than he had been the day previously. He was also, once again, wearing, presumably, the clothes that he had worn the actual day that he was supposed to be in. 

“Hey, Junior,” Opal said to the now six-year-old, some time after lunch. “Let’s go read a book.” 

“You want to read with me?” Baatar Jr. asked, sounding surprised.

“Of course,” Opal assured, confused by Baatar Jr.‘a shocked tone of voice. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Baatar Jr. shrugged nonchalantly. “My mommy and daddy are always too busy to read with me, so I usually just read by myself.”

“Oh,” Opal said, feeling quite sorry for the child. “Well, I’m not busy, and I’d love to read with you.”

While Opal’s book on herbs and plants was likely too difficult for a typical six-year-old to read, she figured that it would be fairly easy for a child like Baatar Jr. 

“What you readin’?” Wei asked, plopping down beside Baatar Jr.

“ _One Hundred Common Herbs and Their Uses_ ,” Baatar Jr. recited from memory, not even needing to look at the cover of the book. 

“Boring!” Wei chanted, causing Opal to hit him on the arm.

“It’s not boring,” Baatar Jr. assured sincerely. “I think it’s really cool.”

“Of course, you do, kiddo,” Wei said ruffling Baatar Jr.’s hair.

“Do you think I’ll get to read books like this at my new school?” Baatar Jr. asked hopefully.

“Maybe,” Opal said encouragingly. “Why are you going to a new school?”

Baatar Jr. looked sad. “My mommy and daddy said that the schoolwork at my old school is too easy for me,” he said, sounding quite disappointed. “So, I have to go to a new school.”

“Oh,” Wei said. “But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Baatar Jr. shrugged dejectedly. “I like my old school,” he said, almost tearfully. “My friends are there, and the teachers are nice. Maybe, if they make the work harder, then I could stay.”

Wei and Opal looked at each other worriedly. “Well, then the work would be too difficult for the other kids,” Opal tried to explain gently. 

Baatar Jr. shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be,” he insisted. “And if it is, I could help them.”

“I don’t think that’ll work, buddy,” Wei said gently.

Baatar Jr. sighed and sat quietly for a moment before speaking again. “Maybe, if I just write all the wrong answers on my homework, they won’t make me move schools.”

“Why would you do that?” Opal asked confusedly. 

“Then they won’t think the work is too easy for me,” Baatar Jr. responded as though this was obvious.

“I get your line of thinking, believe me, I do,” Wei stated. “But you are such a smart little guy. I’m pretty sure you’re the smartest person in this whole swamp right now. You deserve to learn new, interesting things. You shouldn’t be stuck watching other kids learning to read when you’ve been reading for years.”

Baatar Jr. looked down, clearly taking in what Wei had just said. “But what if no one likes me at my new school?”

“How could no one like you?” Wei asked enthusiastically. “You’re a great kid! And anyone who doesn’t like you is an idiot.”

“You think so?” Baatar Jr. asked hopefully.

“Of course, I think so,” Wei assured sincerely. “You are so smart and so nice, and everyone will love you, I promise.”

Baatar Jr. gave a toothy smile before hugging Wei tightly.

Once everyone had had dinner, and Baatar Jr. was fast asleep, tucked into bed in his own tent, Opal decided to bring the subject of schooling up again.

“So, Huan,” Opal started. “Junior mentioned that he had to be switched to a new school. Do you remember any of the details around that?”

Huan sat quietly for a moment. “Not really,” he admitted. “You and him always went to non-bending schools, while the rest of us went to bending schools, so I don’t know much about his schooling.”

Opal considered what Huan had said for a moment. “Well, at least in Zaofu, non-bending schools are split into two levels: primary and secondary,” she explained. “Primary is for kids under twelve, and they learn reading and basic math and things like that, and secondary is for older kids where they learn more difficult work and specialize in different things.”

“Well, if the primary level is for kids five to twelve,” Wing considered. “Then Junior would’ve still been there when you started school.”

“I don’t remember him being there, and I knew other kids who were his age, but they never mentioned him,” Opal informed. “Maybe he got switched to a different primary school.”

“Why would Mom and Dad do that if he’d probably still be learning the same things?” Huan reasoned

“True,” Opal sighed. “But I just don’t see why Mom and Dad would put their six-year-old in a school with teenagers.”

“I suppose we’ll see tomorrow,” Huan said. “He’ll probably be old enough for us to ask him which school he goes to.”

Wei woke up to whimpered crying coming from Baatar Jr.’s tent.

“Junior?” Wei called out, simultaneously using earthbending to check if Baatar Jr. was physically hurt and needed urgent help. “Is everything alright?”

The whimpers stopped.

“I-I’m okay,” Baatar Jr. stammered unconvincingly.

“I’m gonna come in, okay?” Wei said, not wanting to point out that he knew Baatar Jr. had been crying and potentially embarrass the child. 

“‘Kay,” Baatar Jr. responded. 

“Hey, there, buddy,” Wei said sitting down next to the child. 

“How do you know me?” Baatar Jr. asked, still sniffling slightly but clearly trying to make it seem like he hadn’t just been crying. 

“I’m a… friend… of your parents,” Wei said, hoping that Baatar Jr. would be satisfied enough with this answer.

“Oh,” Baatar Jr. said, looking skeptical. “I’ve never met you.”

“Well, my name is Wei,” Wei said.

“I have a brother named Wei,” Baatar Jr. remarked, causing Wei to mentally note to tell the others not to give their real names. 

“Well, he was named after me,” Wei said, taking a bit of a risk.

“No, he wasn’t,” Baatar Jr. remarked, staring at Wei as though he was crazy. “He was named after Mom’s crazy pirate friend who tried to eat our phonebook when he was drunk.”

“Wow, erm, okay,” Wei said, feeling shocked and oddly betrayed by his parents. 

“So, what were you upset about?” Wei asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“Nothing,” Baatar Jr. said unconvincingly, attempting to discreetly wipe the last of his tears.

“You know, it’s good to get your feelings out,” Wei reasoned. “As far as you know, I’m a stranger, so who cares if I judge, which I won’t by the way.”

“But you might tell my parents,” Baatar Jr. argued. 

“I promise I won’t,” Wei assured. 

Baatar Jr. sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t think my grandma likes me very much.”

“Oh,” Wei responded, not quite sure of what to say. It was no secret that, for some unknown reason, Toph had never been too fond of Baatar Jr. “Why would you say that?”

“She always calls me the ‘non-bender’ instead of my name, even though Opal also can’t bend and the twins are too young to bend yet,” Baatar Jr. explained. “And she never wants to spend any time with me. And whenever I’m in the room she just ignores me.”

“Oh… that’s...I’m sorry,” Wei said, completely unsure of how to respond.

“This time, she didn’t even give me a hug when she came to visit us, even though she gave everyone else a hug,” Baatar Jr. added, nearly in tears.

“Why don’t you show her some of your cool inventions?” Wei suggested, thinking that, because Toph invented metalbending at the age of twelve, maybe she would be happy to hear that her grandson also enjoyed inventing, albeit without bending.

“I’ve tried,” Baatar Jr. said dejectedly. “She either just pretends I’m not talking or she calls my inventions useless for people who know how to bend.”

“Oh,” Wei responded. “I’m sorry, kiddo.”

“S’okay,” Baatar Jr. said quietly. 

“Why don’t we get some breakfast,” Wei suggested. “That might make you feel a bit better.”

Baatar Jr. nodded, wiping his tears before standing up.

“Junior, this is Sokka, Suki, and Kanto,” Wei introduced, naming Huan, Opal, and Wing after his paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather. “They’re also friends of yours parents.”

Wei simply mouthed “Later” in response to his siblings’ confused faces. He didn’t want to risk his siblings making the same mistake he had made minutes ago. 

“Hi,” Baatar Jr. greeted somewhat shyly, before sitting down for breakfast.

“Hi, Junior,” Opal greeted. “How old are you now?”

“Eleven,” Baatar Jr. responded.

“Awesome! What school do you go to?” Wing asked immediately, apparently physically unable to be subtle.

“Erm, Zaofu Secondary School,” Baatar Jr., looking at Wing with concern.

“Already?” Opal remarked sounding surprised. “You’re a bit young to be going to secondary school, aren’t you?”

Baatar Jr. simply shrugged. “My mom and dad moved me there when I was six,” he responded as though this wasn’t unusual. “I’m supposed to graduate next year.”

“That’s cool,” Wing said. “Isn’t it weird not having any kids your own age at school with you? Don’t you feel like the weird smart kid?”

“My best friend, Rina’s, the same age as me, and she’s in all the same classes as me,” Baatar Jr. said simply, clearly unaware that he was any different from anyone else. “And my mom and dad always say that no one is smarter than anyone else. Everyone learns at their own pace.”

Wei looked a bit annoyed by this statement. “Well, _I_ think it’s pretty cool that you learn so fast,” he said, beginning to understand why Baatar Jr. felt overshadowed. “If you have a special gift, it’s important for your parents to at least acknowledge it. _My_ parents always made sure to congratulate me when I did anything cool or when I accomplished something with bending.”

Baatar Jr. simply shrugged in response, clearly not understanding why it was such a big deal.

“Why don’t I show you some of my artwork, Junior?” Huan offered suddenly, standing up.

“Sure,” Baatar Jr. responded enthusiastically. “My little brother Huan likes to make art projects, too. My mom says he’s got the makings of a brilliant artist.”

Huan quickly led Baatar Jr. away from the others to show him some of the sculptures he had been working on while stuck in the swamp.

“I can’t believe they would do that!” Wei said angrily, once Baatar Jr. was out of earshot. 

“They had to have had their reasons,” Opal said unconvincingly. 

“Let’s be super encouraging to our bending kids, while we dump our non-bending kid in a school with older kids and still pretend that he’s not special,” Wei said mockingly imitating his parents.

“Maybe, they just didn’t want him to get a big head,” Opal suggested, still wanting to defend her parents despite not quite agreeing with their choices. 

“But they didn’t care if Huan, Wing, you, and I, got big heads?” Wei asked. “Huan, the artistic genius, Opal, the miracle airbender, Wing and Wei, innovative star athletes, and Junior, the regular, non-bending kid, who hangs out with his brilliant architect father all day.”

“For the head of the “I Hate Junior” Club, you seem pretty upset about all this,” Wing pointed out.

Wei huffed. “Believe me, I hate Junior for what he did,” he insisted. “But I also hate imagining smart, sweet little kid Junior being treated like that. Adult Junior deserves it, not kid Junior.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it, now,” Wing pointed out. 

Wei huffed irritatedly. “Well, I’ll just give the kid the praise and encouragement he deserves,” he said. “No kid that smart should go through life thinking they’re not special.”

“And what good would that do?” Opal asked, a slight edge to her voice. “We’re getting snippets from his life. Nothing we tell him will change anything.”

“It’ll make me feel better,” Wei said somewhat dejectedly.

“Let’s go see what Huan and Junior are up to,” Opal suggested, seeing the sad look on Wei’s face.

“Hey, there, you two,” Opal said, waving at Huan and Junior who were working on one of Huan’s projects. “What are you up to?”

“Junior’s helping me make my sculpture light up,” Huan said, sounding genuinely excited.

“There’s no electricity here, though,” Wing asked confused.

“We’re using water power,” Baatar Jr. explained. “The water falls down this slide which causes it to move these wheels which activates the generator which makes enough electricity to light up the bulbs that Huan made with metalbending. Huan’s a really good metalbender.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to bend the light bulbs, if you didn’t give me such good instructions,” Huan said with an encouraging smile. “You’re one smart kid.”

“Thanks,” Baatar Jr. said with a shy smile.

The next morning, Wei woke up to banging on the tent walls.

“Wing! Wei! Let me out of here, right now,” Baatar Jr. shouted. “I know it was you two. Please, just let me out!”

Wei immediately let the tent walls drop.

“Thank--” Baatar Jr., who now appeared to be in his late teens, started, before realizing that he wasn’t at his family’s house.

“Who are you, and where am I?” Baatar Jr. asked immediately on guard.

Wei noted that the swamp’s magic probably prevented Baatar Jr. from recognizing him.

“I’m, erm, Li,” Wei said.

“You don’t seem too sure about that,” Baatar Jr. asked raising an eyebrow

“I am!” Wei insisted. 

“Okay, _Li_ ,” Baatar Jr. said clearly unconvinced. “Where am I?”

“In a swamp?” Wei asked, taking a chance. 

Baatar Jr. huffed and rolled his eyes, a clear sign that he was annoyed. “I can see that, dumbass,” he said. “Where _exactly_ am I, and, more importantly, why am I not at home?”

Wei sighed completely unsure of how he was going to get out of this. “Look, Junior, it’s a long story--” he started.

“How do you who I am?” Baatar Jr. asked immediately. 

“I’m a friend of your parents,” Wei said, this time more convincingly than last time he had used this explanation. “They sent you here for me and a few other friends to look after you.”

“Oh,” Baatar Jr. said, immediately sitting down, looking dejected and somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize. Makes sense now though.”

“What do you mean?” Wei asked, taking a seat next to Baatar Jr., not expecting him to give in that quickly.

Baatar Jr. sighed. “Yesterday, while my parents were out, my little brothers went on a full-blown rampage breaking my parents’ fancy china cabinet and this really expensive vase that they got as a wedding gift,” Baatar Jr. explained. “So, I scolded them and told them they needed to try to fix it or at least clean up or something. And, of course, they were upset with me, but then, later,they started feeling guilty and tried to clean up their mess. They’re only ten, so it was too difficult for them, so I promised them I’d figure out a way to get them out of trouble because they really did try to fix it.”

“What did you do?” Wing, who had been listening in, asked. 

“He told Mo-- _his parents_ that he did it,” Huan, who had also been listening, responded.

“Why the fuck would you do that?” Wei asked, looking almost furious. 

“They’re only ten,” Baatar Jr. said defensively. “And they really did try their best to fix things.”

“That doesn’t mean you should get the blame for their mistakes,” Opal said, jumping out from her hiding place. 

“They’re my little brothers,” Baatar Jr. said angrily. “They drive me insane but I’d do anything for them. And besides, I should’ve been watching them closer.”

“What was your punishment?” Wei asked. 

“Erm, well, you see…” Baatar Jr. started, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“What was it?” Wei repeated more aggressively. 

“They took my toolbox away until I earn up the money to replace everything that broke,” Baatar Jr. explained. “I have no clue how I’m gonna do that if I’m stuck here though.”

Wing nearly choked on the water he was drinking, Opal and Huan simply looked sad, and Wei looked completely livid. 

“Let me get this straight, you need to earn up the money to replace a full china cabinet and an expensive vase, or you don’t get your toolbox, which you got as a birthday gift and filled with high quality stuff that you bought yourself,” Wei said, red with anger. 

“Don’t remind me,” Baatar Jr. sighed sadly. “But it was kind of worth it seeing the happy looks on Wing and Wei’s faces when I told them they were off the hook. They don’t know _how_ I managed to get them off the hook, of course, and I don’t intend on them finding out.”

Wei angrily huffed and punched a tree before stomping away, leaving Baatar Jr. and his other siblings in shock.

“Are you alright?” Huan asked, checking up on Wei, after giving him nearly an hour to calm down.”

“No,” Wei grumbled. “Junior had to earn a shit ton of money to fix Wing and my mistake, and how do Wing and I repay him? With constant mocking. And the worst part is I know for a fact that this is not the only time he’s done something like this to save our sorry asses.”

“It’s just what big brothers do, I guess,” Huan said, unsure of how to make Wei feel better. “He’s done things like that for all of us, by the way, not just you and Wing, so don’t feel too bad.”

“It’s not fair,” Wei remarked nearly in tears. “He gets the least recognition in this family, and he damn well knows it, and yet, he keeps trying to help us. And then when he makes one actual mistake of his own, we shun him. Mom and Dad barely speak to him, he’s not allowed to sit with us for meals, he doesn’t even get to sleep in his own bedroom.”

“Well, it was a pretty big mistake,” Huan reminded him. 

“We should get back to the others,” Huan said after a few quiet moments. 

Wei simply nodded, wiping the few angry tears that had fallen from his eyes. 

“Oh, you’re back,” Baatar Jr. said, looking up at them from the ground where he was working on Huan’s light up sculpture that, unbeknownst to him, he had worked on the day before. “I was just making some improvements to the water power technology you were using.”

“Not that it wasn’t good before,” he added hastily. “I just thought it would be nice.”

“No problem,” Huan said with an encouraging smile. “ I actually don’t completely understand how it worked before. Someone much smarter than me came up with it.”

“It’s a really great concept, using water to power the light bulbs,” Baatar Jr. assured. “I just think there could be a few improvements to the generator itself.”

“You’re really smart,” Wei told Baatar Jr., who smiled.

“Thanks. I just really like fixing things,” he said sincerely. “I’ve been doing it since I was little. My dad lets me engineer his designs now that I’m done with school.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Opal said, joining the conversation. “I would’ve thought you’d have gone to university to learn more about engineering, maybe get a degree.”

“I really wanted to,” Baatar Jr. said, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “But my parents wouldn’t let me. They said they didn’t understand how it would benefit me. Strange to think they’re letting Opal go to the Air Temple to master airbending.”

The rest of the day went on without a hitch, and soon Baatar Jr. decided that he was tired and went to bed in a tent Wei made for him. 

After Baatar Jr. went to bed, the other four siblings discussed the events of that day. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Wing said. “But I actually feel really bad for Junior.”

Opal nodded. “I can’t believe our parents wouldn’t let him go to university. He would’ve done great. He could’ve been teaching engineering now if he wanted to.”

“But that would make him smart and special and his own person,” Wei said mockingly. “And clearly our parents didn’t want to have a kid who was both special _and_ a non-bender.”

“Maybe this is what the swamp wanted us to learn,” Wing said suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Wei asked.

“Maybe this was all to teach us why Junior did what he did,” Wing explained. “Remember when Kuvira and Baatar Jr. were trying to take over Zaofu. Baatar Jr. said he was sick of being stuck in Dad’s shadow. Maybe he was actually sick of being stuck in all of our shadows, and Kuvira was the only person who actually acknowledged his talents.”

“And he fell in love with her because he thought she actually saw him for him,” Opal added with a sad sigh. “Then she used that to brainwash him into believing she loved him, too.”

“Poor Junior,” Wei said, after a few minutes of silence.

Eventually, the siblings all went to bed. 

This time, Wei woke up to Baatar Jr. calling for his ex-fiancée.

“Kuvira?” Baatar Jr. called. “Are you there? I said I was sorry.”

Despite his newfound understanding of Baatar Jr.’s motives, Wei couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger knowing that the Baatar Jr. who was currently trapped in an earth tent was the same Baatar Jr. who had betrayed his entire family and had them thrown in prison.

Wei huffed angrily before rather aggressively dropping the walls of the earth tent. 

“Oh, who are you?” Baatar Jr. asked confusedly. “Where am I?”

“We’re nomads,” Huan answered, thinking quickly. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Baatar,” he answered. “You haven’t seen my fiancée by any chance, have you?”

“You’re the only person outside of our group that we’ve seen,” Huan answered simply. 

“Oh, I wonder how I got here,” Baatar Jr. said mostly to himself. “Maybe Kuvira sent me here. I can’t imagine why though.”

“Kuvira’s your fiancée?” Wei asked, attempting to seem as though he had no idea who Baatar Jr. was.

“Yeah,” Baatar Jr. confirmed with a small smile.

“So, erm, how’s that going for you?” Wing asked somewhat awkwardly.

Baatar Jr. sighed deeply, not seeming too happy. “Usually, it’s pretty nice, you know, being in love with someone.”

Baatar Jr. stopped for a moment.

“But?...” Wei prompted, curious to hear more.

“Lately, it’s been a bit diffic--,” Baatar Jr. looked suspiciously at everyone. “Why am I telling you _any_ of this?”

Huan shrugged nonchalantly. “We’re nomads, you’re a stranger, we’ll probably forget by tomorrow.”

“Plus, you seem like you need to get this off your chest,” Opal added.

Baatar Jr. considered their reasoning for a few moments before giving in. “Fair enough.”

“So, as you were saying, things were getting difficult with your fiancée,” Wei prompted, curious to hear more, as he had assumed that things had been going perfectly between Kuvira and Baatar Jr. until Kuvira tried to blow Baatar Jr. up with his own invention.

“Yeah, well, she’s… angry with me at the moment,” Baatar Jr. admitted. 

“Why?” Opal asked, gently, although still clearly eager to learn more. 

“Well, she, erm, she was trying to take over this...erm,... _place_ ,” Baatar Jr. said, hesitantly, changing the story slightly. “And the people there didn’t exactly agree to it, so she decided she was going to blow it up with this machine that I kind of built for her.”

“Okay…,” Wei said, urging Baatar Jr. to continue.

“Anyway, so, right when we were set to do it,” Baatar Jr. continued. “I noticed my little sister there, and I called it off.”

“And Kuvira wasn’t happy about this,” Wing guessed.

“She was furious,” Baatar Jr. confirmed, curling in on himself slightly. 

“What did she do exactly?” Huan asked, sounding slightly concerned, having been on the receiving end of Kuvira’s anger once before.

“The usual,” Baatar Jr. said nonchalantly. “Roughed me up a bit.”

“Roughed you up a bit?” Wei repeated, feeling both concerned and angry. “Like how?”

Baatar Jr. looked up at Wei confused as to why he was getting upset. “You know, threw me into walls, hit me a couple times.”

“Has this happened before?” Wei asked, now definitely angry.

“Only when I’ve done something to set her off,” Baatar Jr. said defensively. 

“Anger is not an excuse to hurt someone,” Wei said. “No matter how angry they make you.”

“She had a difficult childhood,” Baatar Jr. defended, now growing angry as well. “And I should have known not to make her angry.”

“Well, _you’re_ angry right now,” Wei pointed out. “Are you going to hit me?”

“No!” Baatar Jr. said, looking slightly offended that Wei would even think that. “But that’s different.”

“How?!” Wei asked aggressively.

“I just don’t do things like that,” Baatar Jr. said. “It’s not okay.”

“But it _is_ okay for your fiancée to beat you up because you said or did something she didn’t like,” Wei said.

Baatar Jr. huffed and rolled his eyes, before quietly saying, “It’s not like that.”

“What’s the worst she’s hurt you?” Opal asked, also visibly upset.

Baatar Jr. sighed. “She choked me unconscious once.”

Wei simply stomped away at this point. 

“And what was her excuse for that?” Opal asked heatedly.

“I asked her to let my family out of prison,” Baatar Jr. said. “It was stupid of me to ask, and it didn’t work anyway, seeing as I almost ended up dead and they’re _still_ in prison. I never should’ve asked in the first place.”

Opal, angry tears rapidly filling her eyes, walked away as well. 

“Why don’t we make something to eat?” Huan suggested. “I think we’re all just a bit hungry.”

“You two get started,” Wing said. “I’ll go check on W...the others.

“You okay?” Wing asked his twin brother after taking a few minutes to find him. 

“Just fucking peachy,” Wei grumbled, rolling his tear-filled eyes. 

Wing sighed and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“She was hurting him, and he still stayed with her,” Wei said in a sad, quiet voice. 

“He was in love with her,” Wing offered as an explanation, not quite knowing how to comfort his brother. “She must not have loved him, though.”

“I can’t imagine how he must feel, now,” Wei said sadly. “Knowing that she didn’t actually love him all along.”

“Probably pretty unlovable,” Wing reasoned.

“Especially considering the way we’ve been treating him,” Wei added guiltily. 

“I can’t believe he actually saved Opal,” Wei said after a few minutes. 

“He also tried to get us out of prison,” Wing informed Wei. “It’s why Kuvira choked him out.”

Wei simply clenched his fists in anger. 

“I think I’ll step down from the ‘I Hate Junior’ club and switch to the ‘I Hate Kuvira’ club,” he said, chuckling while wiping some stray tears. 

The rest of the day went on fairly well, with Baatar Jr. believing that Kuvira must’ve had some reason for sending him there and that he likely didn’t remember why because he must’ve hit his head when Kuvira threw him into a wall.

When the siblings woke up the next morning, they were surprised to find that Baatar Jr. hadn’t woken up yet.

“You sure Junior isn’t awake yet?” Opal asked again. 

“I’m pretty sure, Opal,” Huan said irritatedly. “Junior isn’t the type to just lay awake in bed, you know that, we all know that.”

“I know,” Opal insisted, getting visibly annoyed with her brother. “But he _is_ the type to wake up absurdly early, and it’s pretty late in the morning now.”

“Why don’t we check on him, then?” Wei said, standing up and walking over to Baatar Jr.’s tent. 

“Junior!” Wei shouted, knocking aggressively on the side of the tent. “Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!”

“I am awake,” Baatar Jr. grumbled. 

“Well, I hope you’re decent,” Wei said, before promptly dropping the walls of Baatar Jr.’s tent. 

Baatar Jr. was lying flat on his back looking up at Wei. 

“Well, are you gonna get up?” Wei asked. 

Baatar Jr. huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m paralyzed from the waist down,” he reminded him sounding annoyed. “And I’m lying on the ground _and_ I don’t have any pull-up bars or supports. I couldn’t get up even if my life depended on it.” 

“Oh, right,” Wei responded sheepishly. “Erm, well, what do you need me to do, you know, to help you?”

“You’re offering to help me?” Baatar Jr. asked, looking shocked but grateful. 

“Think about it this way,” Wing said, bringing Baatar Jr.’s wheelchair over. “The quicker you get in this wheelchair, the quicker we find grandma and get out of here.”

“Oh, right,” Baatar Jr. said, sounding slightly dejected. 

After several minutes, Baatar Jr. was in his wheelchair, the camp was cleared, and the siblings were once again on their way to find their grandmother. 

“So, Junior, what do you remember from the past few days?” Wei asked, while discreetly earthbending a smoother path for Baatar Jr. to navigate his wheelchair.

Baatar Jr looked very confused at Wei’s question. 

“Erm, well, things were getting bad in Zaofu, Mom and Dad tried to send us to Republic City, we got kidnapped, and then we were dumped here,” Baatar Jr. responded seeming confused. 

“And then?” Wei asked.

“And then we set up camp, ate, went to bed, and woke up this morning,” Baatar Jr. added, looking deeply concerned for Wei. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, I’m great,” Wei said quickly, realizing that Baatar Jr. had no recollection of what Wei, Wing, Opal, and Huan had experienced. “Just having some trouble remembering things.”

“You didn’t hit your head, did you?” asked Baatar Jr., immediately stopping and looking even more concerned. “Maybe you should sit down for a bit and just relax. We should probably get you something to eat, too. Your vitamin levels might be low.”

“I’m fine, Junior,” Wei assured, rolling his eyes, but feeling oddly grateful for the normalcy of the situation. “No need to go into big brother mode.” 

“If you’re having memory problems this bad, then you are not fine,,” Baatar Jr. said, already looking through his pack for fruits and other snacks. 

“Sit,” Baatar Jr. ordered Wei, who rolled his eyes again but sat down nonetheless. “Eat these.”

Baatar Jr. rolled over to Wei and handed him a peach and a small sack of assorted nuts and berries. 

“I can eat and walk at the same time, you know,” Wei grumbled.

“We are not leaving until you’ve eaten everything I handed to you,” Baatar Jr. said, crossing his arms, adamantly refusing to move until he decided that his little brother was well enough to continue on. 

* * *

“Nope, that was me,” Rina informed with a smile. “Feeling better now, though. Baatar should be--”.

“Good morning,” Baatar Jr. greeted, rolling in on his wheelchair, one of the only clearly visible remnants of his terrible breakup with Kuvira, the other remnant being a large scar across his face.

“There he is,” Su said cheerfully. “The man of the hour. How are you this morning?”

“I’m alright, Mom,” Baatar Jr. responded with a smile before moving over to sit next to his wife. 

Just as the family was finishing up breakfast, the doors to the large dining room were pulled open.

“Oh, erm, good morning, everyone,” Kuvira greeted, looking around the room, certainly more than a bit stressed.

“Hello, there, Kuvira, dear,” Su greeted in response. “Is everything alright?”

“Not exactly,” Kuvira admitted. “Avatar Korra wasn’t here by any chance, was she?”

“No,” Su responded confused. “She’s supposed to be in Republic City with you.”

“Well, no one has seen her all morning,” Kuvira stated. “Chief Beifong’s already searched the entire city. She’s not there.”


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean she's not there?" Wing asked Kuvira, while everyone else simply stared in shock.

"I mean we can't find her anywhere in Republic City," Kuvira said, clearly trying her best to remain calm. "The last person to see her was Asami, and she says that Korra was gone by the time she woke up at around eight this morning."

"Does Asami remember anything unusual from last night or this morning?" Su asked, trying not to sound as worried as she felt.

"No," Kuvira answered. "She said everything was normal when they went to bed last night, and everything was normal when she woke up, well, other than Korra not being there."

"And was Korra acting strange at all when you were with her yesterday?" Baatar Sr. asked.

Kuvira stopped to think for a moment, likely recalling every moment she could of the day before. "No, she seemed perfectly normal," she said.

"Well, then, chances are she didn't run away," Su guessed.

"She probably wasn't taken by force, either," Baatar Sr. added.

"She _has_ wandered off before," Kuvira reasoned. "But she's always in the same general area."

"Let's go check around the city for a bit," Su suggested, attempting to remain calm. "If we can't find her, we'll go with you to Republic City and see what Lin suggests."

"Sounds like a plan," Kuvira said, as everyone stood up from the breakfast table and got ready to search Zaofu.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Su noticed Kuvira discreetly ask Rina with a concerned look on her face. "You really don't have to if you'd rather not."

While those outside of the Beifong family and their close friends might have thought that Kuvira intended to exclude Rina out of jealousy, as Rina was married to Kuvira's ex-fiancé, Su knew that Kuvira's statement came from a place of genuine care and concern for one of her closest friends.

* * *

_Spring 168_

Kuvira, all dressed up with a single red rose in her hand, excitedly hurried to the front porch where Opal and Wei had told her that Baatar Jr. would be waiting for her. She had been hoping to attempt to rekindle her relationship with her ex-fiancé by asking him to accompany her to the Spring Festival that night. While both Kuvira and Baatar Jr. were under house arrest, they had been allowed two hours of supervised time out to attend the festivities.

Before opening the front door, Kuvira looked out the window to check if Baatar Jr. was already outside. Much to her shock and dismay, several feet away from the door, she spotted Baatar Jr. in his wheelchair laughing happily alongside a tall woman with long auburn hair. After a few moments, Baatar Jr., looking much happier and more relaxed than Kuvira had ever seen him, pulled the woman in for a rather passionate kiss.

Rather than make a scene, Kuvira, trying her best to hold back her tears, simply closed the curtains before the happy couple could notice her and hurried upstairs to her room.

After several minutes of quiet, lonely crying, there was a knock on the door.

"Kuvira, dear, can I come in?" Su asked gently.

Kuvira quickly wiped her tears and attempted to make herself more presentable.

"Erm, sure," she said as cheerfully as she could, her voice cracking slightly.

"Oh, sweetie," Su sighed, closing the door behind herself before rushing over to Kuvira. "What happened?"

"I saw Baatar and...," Kuvira started, fiddling with the now-wilted rose. Luckily, she didn't need to finish her explanation for Su to understand what had happened.

Su simply pulled Kuvira into her lap and held her tightly, rocking her slightly and rubbing her back as she sobbed. While Su had been furious with Kuvira for a few years, after Kuvira had proven that she had changed during her prison time and truly felt a great amount of remorse for her actions, Su and Kuvira's relationship grew much stronger, with Su treating Kuvira as a second daughter.

"It's not that I'm not happy for him," Kuvira insisted between heartbroken sobs. "It's just... I-I just..."

Kuvira stopped for a few moments to collect herself.

"I wish it was me with him, kissing him," she said in a sad whisper. "When I first came here after everything, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't know how Baatar would react, if he would hate me or... Anyway, after spending all that time with him working on replicating that brainwashing device, I realized how well we work together, and then just spending time with him around the house, I guess I just thought that maybe things could actually work between us this time, now that I actually loved him back. And then I saw him with that other girl, and...and..."

Kuvira's heart-wrenching sobs started up once again.

"Oh, Kuvira," Su sighed, continuing to hold her adoptive daughter to her chest. Kuvira understood that this situation must've been complicated for Su, given that Baatar Jr. was her son.

"I know it hurts now, dear," Su said gently. "But I promise you, eventually, everything will work out. And you will move on. And you will be okay, I promise."

"But I love Baatar," Kuvira argued dejectedly.

Su sighed and remained quiet for a few moments. "How much do you love him?"

"More than anyone I've ever known in my life," Kuvira answered painfully, somewhat confused by Su's question.

"Enough to let him go?" Su asked.

Kuvira's eyes began filling up with tears as she considered Su's question. 

"I love him enough to want him to feel happy and safe and loved, even if it's not with me," she said sincerely. "His happiness means more to me than my own, and if that other girl makes him happy, then... then that's just the way it has to be."

Su held Kuvira even tighter than she had before. "I am so proud of you," she said sincerely. "And I know, in time, you'll be alright."

Kuvira smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks, Mom," she said, using a term she reserved for private moments between herself and Su.

"So, what's Baatar's new girlfriend like?" Kuvira asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Su smiled. "She's really lovely. She and Junior were actually best friends at school, so they already had a bit of a shorthand with each other to begin with," she answered. "It wasn't too surprising when they started dating."

Kuvira nodded in acknowledgement of Su's statement. "Maybe I could meet her when she and Baatar get back from the festival."

"That's a great idea," Su said encouragingly. “I think you’ll really like her.”

It wasn't long before Baatar Jr. and Rina returned from the festival.

"Hi," Kuvira greeted her ex-fiancé and his girlfriend sheepishly.

"Hi, Kuvira," Baatar Jr. greeted somewhat nervously. "This is Rina, my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Rina said with a smile, reaching a hand out to Kuvira.

"You, too," Kuvira said, shaking Rina's hand.

"You look all dressed up," Rina said kindly to Kuvira. "Are you heading to the festival?"

"Erm, no, actually," Kuvira admitted. "I was thinking about it, but I don't think I will."

"I'm actually just here to drop off this little convict," Rina said, playfully ruffling Baatar Jr.'s hair. "I'll be heading back to the festival if you wanted to go with me to check it out."

"Are you sure?" Kuvira asked, wanting to go to the festival but worrying that it might be awkward going with her ex-fiancé's girlfriend.

"Yeah! Of course, if you want to, that is," Rina said convincingly. "You know what they say, 'The only thing worse than going to a festival alone is not going at all'."

"I suppose so," Kuvira said hesitantly. "I guess I'll go."

"Great!" Rina said enthusiastically. "I promise it's definitely worth a look."

Kuvira hated to admit it, but she had actually been having a great time with Rina. After nearly an hour of playing games and watching performances, Kuvira and Rina sat down to eat some of the food from the different stands. 

"So, how long have you and Baatar been together?" Kuvira asked Rina.

"Nearly three years now," Rina answered sounding a bit unsure. "I'm not too great at keeping track of dates and things. Baatar probably knows down to the minute, though. He's definitely the more romantic type."

"He is," Kuvira said with a sad smile.

"Is that why you two didn't work out?" Rina asked.

"Erm, that's definitely part of it," Kuvira answered awkwardly, unsure if Rina knew the entire truth behind the breakup.

“Well, of course, there’s the blowing him up part,” Rina said with a teasing smirk. “But there had to have been some precursors to that.”

You know about that?” Kuvira asked, feeling shocked that Rina knew and even more shocked that Rina still wanted to hang out with her.

“Baatar and I were best friends growing up,” Rina reminded Kuvira with a smile. “And he didn’t have a certain piece of mobility equipment back then.”

“Right,” Kuvira responded sheepishly. “Just curious, why did you even want to go to the festival with me? With what I did, I wouldn’t have been shocked if you thought I was a crazy bitch.”

Rina laughed. “If Baatar can forgive you for breaking both his heart and his spinal cord in one go, then as far as I’m concerned, you’re forgiven,” she said sincerely. “And as far as the ‘crazy’ bit goes, the best people are at least a little crazy.”

Kuvira gave the first genuine smile that she had given in a while.

* * *

“Yes,” Rina responded slowly, looking confused. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“No…,” Kuvira said, looking slightly confused. “You just seem... _off_ , physically.”

“Oh, I think I got food poisoning or something a few days ago,” Rina said, immediately relaxing. “My stomach’s been a bit up and down since then. That’s probably what you’re sensing.”

“Right,” Kuvira said, sounding unconvinced.

Rina lightheartedly rolled her eyes. “If it makes you feel better, we could all split into groups,” she suggested. “Then you can keep an eye on me.”

“That’s a great idea!” Bolin said excitedly. “I pick Opal! Who else wants to join Team Bolin?”

After a few minutes, the large group was split into smaller groups of two or three, with Kuvira, Rina, and Baatar Jr. in one group.

“So, how’s Mao?” Rina asked Kuvira teasingly, as they were all looking around Zaofu’s economic district.

“She’s alright,” Kuvira answered with a small smile, blushing slightly as she thought about her girlfriend.

* * *

_Winter 168_

As much as Kuvira was thrilled for her friends, after nearly an hour at Baatar Jr. and Rina’s engagement party, she needed some fresh air. Making sure no one was watching, Kuvira discreetly stepped out the front door, nearly tripping over a woman with medium-length brown hair who was sitting on the steps.

“Oh, erm, sorry,” Kuvira apologized awkwardly, not anticipating that someone would already be outside on the front porch, especially on such a cold evening.

“It’s alright,” the woman assured, moving over to allow Kuvira some space to sit next to her. “What brings you out here?”

“I just needed some fresh air,” Kuvira said, sitting down next to the woman, who simply nodded in response.

“They’re a gorgeous couple, aren’t they?” the woman said after a few moments of awkward silence.

Kuvira nodded, not entirely certain if she was in the mood for conversation, especially on the topic of Baatar Jr. and Rina’s relationship.

The woman chuckled halfheartedly. “I know this is gonna make me sound like a shitty best friend, and I have no reason to trust you with this information,” she said. “But a cruel tiny part of me wishes it was me with her, you know, instead of Baatar.”

Kuvira wasn’t sure how to respond. Part of her felt angry that this woman wanted to take Rina away from Baatar, something Kuvira knew would hurt Baatar profoundly, but a tiny selfish part of her also understood where the woman was coming from, as Kuvira also slightly wished that the couple wasn’t together if only for her to be with Baatar. 

Luckily for Kuvira, the woman continued speaking.

“But Baatar truly makes her the happiest I’ve ever seen her, and it doesn’t help that he’s actually a really great guy.”

After a few minutes of silence, Kuvira had a response for the woman.

“I know my opinion doesn’t matter much to you,” Kuvira said, speaking from her own personal feelings and deep conversations she had had with Su. “But I think it’s brave of you to show up here even though it hurts. It’s difficult wanting to be happy for your best friend, while also feeling miserable because the person you love most is happier with someone else.”

The woman chuckled dryly and gave a small smile. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” she remarked.

Kuvira remained silent for several seconds, wondering how much she should reveal. “Baatar and I were engaged a few years ago,” Kuvira admitted. “But, at the time, I wasn’t exactly in love with him. I was mostly just using him to further my own agenda.”

“He _is_ absurdly smart. They both are,” the woman said, bringing Kuvira back to the present moment after a few seconds of being lost in her memories. “I swear their children are gonna be born running calculations in their little heads.”

Kuvira chuckled. “That’s a reasonable theory.”

“So, you two were engaged but you weren’t in love with him,” the woman prompted Kuvira to continue. “But I’m guessing _he_ was in love with you.”

“Head over heels,” Kuvira said honestly. “He abandoned his principles, his home, his family, all for me. He stood by me while I took over the Earth Kingdom, even though he hates conflict. He built a giant mecha suit to hold a spirit energy cannon, so that I could threaten and attack people, because he loved me and wanted to make me happy.”

“Wow, that’s… I don’t even have the words for what that is,” the woman said, looking very much taken aback. “So, how’d it all fall apart?”

“I may have blown him up with said spirit cannon,” Kuvira sheepishly admitted, knowing that the woman would likely turn and run away from her.

“By ‘may have’, you mean that you _accidentally_ blew him up, right?” the woman asked, looking at Kuvira with concern.

“No, it was intentional,” Kuvira admitted reluctantly, hoping the woman could somehow tell that she deeply regretted her past actions. 

“But it wasn’t to hurt _him,_ I swear, he was just in the same place as people I actually wanted to hurt at the time. Of course, I knew he was there and that he’d get hurt or even killed, but it was never my intention to hurt him. It’s just…”

“You didn’t love him, so you figured he was expendable,” the woman finished with a judgemental edge to her voice.

Kuvira looked down guiltily. “At the time, I thought I was making the right decision,” she explained. “I was a very broken person, and I acted like a selfish tyrant, and I hurt the people closest to me, but after my time in prison, I learned that I was wrong all those years, and I truly regret was I did, not only to Baatar, but to everyone else I’ve hurt, too. I have no excuse, and I understand if you never want to speak to me again, but I really have been doing my best to be better than the person I was before.”

After several awkward minutes, the woman finally nodded, placing a gentle hand on Kuvira’s shoulder. “We’ve all made mistakes,” she assured with a small smile. “And the fact that Rina even lets you near Baatar is enough proof that you’re a good person at heart. She may not be an earthbender but she has a way of sensing if a person is good or not.”

Kuvira chuckled. “So, that’s why she was so insistent that I go with her to the Spring Festival back in Zaofu.”

“She pretends to give you the benefit of the doubt, meanwhile she’s watching your every move,” the woman said, laughing. “Don’t worry, she did the same thing to me when we first met. It happens when you’re from the kind of place she’s from.”

Kuvira nodded, feeling curious but not wanting to pry.

“So, when did you start having feelings for Baatar?” the woman asked.

“Sometime last year, when the Avatar needed my help on a… project of sorts. I don’t know if I’m at liberty to discuss it,” Kuvira said. “But, anyway, I needed Baatar to help me, and he reluctantly did, making it very clear that he was only there because the Avatar had asked him to be. I guess working with him made me realize how well we worked together, and I realized some… other good qualities about him. And it wasn’t too long until I knew.”

“Does he know?” the woman asked.

“No, and I don’t intend on him finding out,” Kuvira said warningly.

The woman raised her hands in surrender. “I won’t tell your secret, if you don’t tell mine.”

Kuvira gave a sharp nod. “So, Rina doesn’t know either?” she asked.

“Nope,” the woman said. “Like you, I only knew I was in love with her after she was already with the love of her life.”

“How did you realize it?” Kuvira asked, feeling an odd sense of camaraderie.

The woman chuckled. “Honestly, I should’ve known from the moment I met her,” she admitted. “I always thought what I was feeling was just close friendship-type love, but then I saw her with Baatar, and I couldn’t figure out whether or not I should kill Baatar or get myself a wheelchair and a pair of glasses and win Rina from him. But then, I met him, and of course, he’s a complete sweetheart, and he made Rina so happy, so I just let them be.”

“I’m Mao, by the way,” the woman said with a smile, reaching out a hand.

“Kuvira,” Kuvira responded, shaking Mao’s outstretched hand.

* * *

“I didn’t get a chance to tell her I was coming over here,” Kuvira revealed slightly guiltily. “This morning has been so hectic.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand,” Rina assured kindly.

Kuvira nodded in agreement. “I just hope Korra’s alright.”

After a few hours of searching the large city, it was clear that the Avatar was not in Zaofu.

“What now?” Wing asked disappointedly.

“I guess we go back to Chief Beifong and see what she says,” Kuvira said.

“She wasn’t there at all?” Chief Lin Beifong, the chief of police of the Republic City Police Department and Suyin’s older sister, asked.

“No,” Kuvira confirmed. “We searched the Zaofu top to bottom. She’s not there.”

Lin swore under her breath, looking uncharacteristically worried.

“Alright,” Lin said, clearly forcing herself to remain calm. “I’ve already informed Asami, Mako, Mao, Tenzin and his family, Kya, Bumi and Izumi, and Korra’s mother. She’s definitely not in the United Republic or Air Temple Island. Tenzin and the Air Acolytes are searching the Air Temples. I’ve sent my officers to search the Earth Kingdom. Korra’s mother and her friends are searching the Southern Water Tribe. I’ve sent Iroh to search the Fire Nation and--”

“On a first name basis with the General, I see,” Su said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. 

While Lin and Iroh, the General of the United Forces Army, weren’t obvious about their relationship with one another, Su, being Lin’s sister, could tell that, at very least, the feelings between them were definitely more than platonic. 

Lin glared at Su, before continuing what she was saying.

“And the surrounding waters and islands,” Lin continued, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “So, that just leaves--”

“The swamp,” Opal interrupted. “That’s perfect! We can have Grandma help us.”

“Let me go get Mako, Mao, and Asami,” Lin said, quickly rushing out of her office and returning with the three.

“Mako!” Bolin exclaimed, excitedly hugging his brother.

“Hey, little bro,” Mako greeted with a smile.

“Alright, so this is the plan,” Lin said authoritatively. “We go to the swamp. We find Su and my mother. We search for Korra. If Korra is not there, we come back here, and we see if anyone else has found her. If no one has--”

“We’ll get to that step when we get there,” Su said gently. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time, Lin. You’re going into ‘Worried Mother Mode’.”

“ _Worried Mother Mode?!_ ” Lin exclaimed clearly offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Su sighed, shaking her head. “You may not have any children of your own--”

“By choice,” Lin interrupted matter-of-factly. “I hate children.”

“I know. You’ve mentioned,” Su assured gently. “But anytime anything, big or small, happens to Korra, you turn into Mama Moose-Bear.”

“I do not!” Lin argued.

“You kinda do, Chief Beifong,” Mako said in agreement with Su. “Remember that time, Korra went out in a blizzard, and you gave her this long lecture about how she should be more careful, and then you spent the rest of the week taking care of her.”

“And that time, Korra broke her leg,” Asami added. “And you made both of us stay at your place so that you could keep an eye on her.”

“Ooooh, and that time--” Bolin started.

“Alright, I get it!” Lin said frustratedly. “I just...I can’t…” She sighed dejectedly. “I don’t want her getting hurt, that’s all.”

Su placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Korra will be fine,” she insisted. “She’s a strong girl.”

Lin sighed deeply before nodding. “Let’s just get going.”

Just as everyone turned to leave, Lin’s phone started ringing causing her to practically leap over Mako to reach it. 

“Yes?” Lin greeted, clearly trying to calm herself down. “Oh, hello, Iroh, have you found her, yet?... No, nothing here, either… Yes, they’ve checked the whole city… No, not a trace… Oh, okay, sure, we need all the help we can get… Okay… Yes, thank you… Okay, bye.”

Lin hung up the phone.

“Have a nice talk with General Iroh?” Su asked with a smirk.

“So,” Lin said, clapping her hands together, clearly choosing to ignore her sister’s statement. “Iroh’s younger sister Iara will be accompanying us. She’s a waterbender.”

Mako groaned in clear frustration at the mention of General Iroh’s sister.

“What was that for? This is great news!” Bolin said enthusiastically. “Then we’ll have at least one bender for each element.”

“She can be a bit eccentric,” Lin explained, chuckling at Mako’s response.

Mako scoffed. “A bit eccentric?” he said. “More like a complete lunatic.”

“I’m sure she can’t be worse than Varrick,” Su assured, thinking of Iknik Blackstone Varrick, the outlandish billionaire who could now be considered an ally of the Avatar.

“She makes Varrick seem normal,” Mako huffed, causing everyone to look at Lin for confirmation.

Lin chuckled as she gave a nod in agreement. 

“She takes after her father,” she explained simply, referring to Lord Bumi, Admiral of the United Forces Navy, husband of Fire Lord Izumi, and oldest and only nonbending child of Avatar Aang.

“Okay, Bumi’s _definitely_ crazier than Varrick,” Baatar Sr. said honestly.

“Which one is she?” Su asked, remembering that Bumi and Izumi had eleven kids, all of whom were benders, with Iroh and his twin sister, Kanna, being the oldest. 

“She’s the youngest,” Lin stated. “Looks exactly like Izumi did at her age.”

About a minute and a half later, a loud horn blared, causing Mako to groan and rub his temples.

“YOUR WATERBENDER HAS ARRIVED!” a young woman shouted from outside, although with how loud and clear she sounded, one would’ve thought she was in the room.

Lin chuckled before opening the window. “We’ll be down in a minute!” she called through her megaphone, unable to naturally project with the same clarity as Iara.

“Hiya, everyone!” Iara greeted with a bright smile. “Let’s see, I already know Chief Beifong, hero and savior.” She immediately stood in a salute, causing Lin to lightheartedly roll her eyes.

“At ease, soldier,” she said, chuckling.

“Oh, and I know this guy,” Iara said, looking at Mako, before imitating his stance and voice. “Mako, Lord of the Bore, His Royal Stuffiness, Sir Stick-in-the-Mud, Archbishop of the Island of Blah.”

“Pleasure seeing you again, Iara,” Mako said sarcastically, reluctantly reaching out to shake Iara’s hand, as several others, including Bolin laughed at Iara’s antics

“I’m sure it is, King Killjoy,” Iara said before enthusiastically slapping Mako’s hand as though he had offered a high-five instead of a handshake. 

After about two hours, the group arrived at the Foggy Swamp. Barely a minute later, Toph greeted her family and their friends.

“Hello, there, what brings you all here?” she asked. “Are you alright, Lin? You seem stressed.”

Not long after Su and her family were able to reconcile with Baatar Jr., Su realized that the problems between Lin had with her mother were similar to the problems Baatar Jr. had with her and Baatar Sr. After realizing this, Su was able to help Lin and Toph discuss their feelings. Eventually, Toph realized that she had always been gentler with Su, causing Lin to feel desperate for some praise and affection. After a while, Lin was able to forgive her mother.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Lin grumbled.

“Korra’s missing,” Su explained simply.

“Ah, that explains,” Toph said, nodding as Lin rolled her eyes. “Lin certainly has a soft spot for that girl.”

“I do not,” Lin mumbled.

“So, you’re missing an Avatar and have decided to come to the master,” Toph said, ignoring Lin. “Well, lucky for you, my sight is better than ever.”

Toph firmly placed her feet on the ground, using her seismic sense to determine Korra’s location.

“What are the chances she’s not on land?” Toph asked after several seconds, sounding uncharacteristically concerned.

“Why?” Lin asked, beginning to look more concerned.

“The vines in this swamp travel all over the world,” Toph explained. “And I can’t sense Korra anywhere.”

“Alright, so not exactly what we planned,” Lin said mostly to herself, now pacing back and forth. “But that does narrow it down. She has to be either in the air or on water. She--”

“She will be alright, Lin,” Su insisted, holding Lin’s shoulders to stop her from pacing. “We will find her. Everything will be fine.”

“Why don’t we go over to my house, eat something, and get some rest?” Toph suggested. “It’ll be much easier to find Korra when we’re all fed and rested. In my experience, finding the Avatar has a lot more to do with waiting for them to find you, trust me.”

Lin reluctantly nodded before following Toph’s lead to her cabin, which was designed by Baatar Sr. as a birthday present. 

“Here we are,” Toph announced with a smile, gesturing to her surprisingly large wooden cabin, standing in a clearing near a river.

“Awesome!” Bolin exclaimed, dramatically plopping onto the ground. “I’m done walking for today.”

“We’ll just leave you outside, then,” Toph said, rolling her eyes as she stepped over Bolin to allow everyone inside the house. “There should be enough space for everyone to go two or three to a room.”

“Ooh, ooh, ooh, I pick Opal!” Bolin announced enthusiastically, still lying on the ground. 

After dinner, everyone else paired up and got ready for bed.

“Looks like we’re bed buddies, Prince Party-Pooper,” Iara said, clapping Mako on the back after seeing that everyone else had a roommate. 

“No, no, no, absolutely not,” Mako said, realizing who he’d have to share with. “Nope. Not happening.”

“Well, there’s two of you and only one room left,” Lin told Mako. “So, unless you plan on sleeping outside, you’re sharing with Iara.”

“Don’t worry, Captain Cranky,” Iara said, ruffling Mako’s hair. “I’ve been told I’m an amazing bed-partner.”

Mako grumbled frustratedly, stomping off to the room he had to share with Iara. 

Su stretched as she woke up next to her husband, ready for another day spent searching for the Avatar. Walking into the kitchen, she smiled as she watched some of her other family members pile one by one into her mother’s kitchen, where Lin had already started preparing breakfast. 

“Did you hear Rina throwing up this morning?” Opal asked, grimacing. “I feel so bad for her.”

“I feel bad for Junior,” Wing remarked, walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, his hair standing in all directions. “Having to wake up to that three mornings in a row, now.”

Toph scoffed. “It’s his own fault,” she said. ”Having to wake up to her vomiting is a small price to pay.”

“What do you mean?” Su asked, confused. For a long time, Toph hadn’t been very kind to Baatar Jr., however, over the past few years, they had grown quite close.

“A girl can’t get pregnant on her own, now, can she?” Toph stated, chuckling.

“What?” Su asked, looking completely taken aback, as did everyone else.

“You didn’t know?” Toph asked, looking confused. “I could hear that baby’s heartbeat from miles away. That one’s gonna be an earth bender, I can feel it.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who knew, Grandma,” Opal said, looking just as surprised as her mother. “I don’t even think Junior and Rina know.”

“Oh,” Toph said, standing up. “Well, someone should tell them. I volunteer.”

“Mom,” Su said warningly.

“What?” Toph asked. “I’m great at this sort of thing. Trust me.”

“Mom, we need to be gentle and subtle about this, okay?” Su warned once again, practically running behind her mother, as she hurried over to Baatar Jr. and Rina’s room. “Chances are they don’t know, yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Toph said, not really listening, as she rushed over to the room, banging on the door.

“I hope you two are decent!” she called before earthbending the door down.

Baatar Jr. and Rina were both sitting in bed, Baatar Jr., shirtless, holding a book in his hands, while Rina was cuddled up next to him wearing one of his old shirts. Both stared shocked at Toph’s surprise entrance.

“So,” she started before the couple could respond, plopping down at the foot of their bed. “How often would you say you two have been having sex?”

“Erm, could you repeat that, please?” Baatar Jr. asked, his face quickly turning red. “I’m pretty sure I heard you wrong.”

Toph huffed. “Would you say you’re having sex once a month, every couple weeks, anytime you’re alone?” she prompted.

“I’d say reasonably often, certainly not _every_ time we’re left alone, but a good amount,” Rina answered only looking mildly surprised while Baatar Jr. looked absolutely mortified.

“Okay, so, would you say it’s possible that you two had sex a little over one month and three weeks ago?” Toph asked, seeming to be enjoying her grandson’s embarrassed mutterings.

“Why on Earth would you possibly want this information?” Baatar Jr. asked irritatedly, hiding his now bright-red face in his hands. “Why would we even know that?”

“It’s certainly possible,” Rina answered Toph’s question with a smirk, acting as though Baatar Jr. hadn’t spoken. “We don’t keep a calendar of it or anything.”

“Oh, I’d say it’s very possible,” Toph said matter-of-factly.

Baatar Jr. huffed in annoyance. “And why _exactly_ do you feel this way, Grandma?” he asked, grabbing a glass of water from the bedside table and drinking some water in a clear attempt to calm himself down.

“Because the baby growing inside your wife is around one month and three weeks old,” Toph informed nonchalantly, causing Baatar Jr. to choke.

“What?!” Baatar Jr. exclaimed in between painful coughs and gasps for breath.

“You and Rina are going to be parents in less than eight months,” Toph said with a smirk. “Congrats. Try not to name this one Baatar.”

“That was _not_ what I meant by ‘gentle and subtle’, Mom!” Su said, stomping over and glaring at her mother. “That is the exact _opposite_ of what I meant!”

“What?” Toph asked, clearly unaware that she had done anything wrong. “It’s not like I asked them if they had sex last night. Or if they’ve been using protection. Which they clearly haven’t by the way. At least not every ti--”

“That’s enough, Mom,” Su sighed, before hurrying over to Baatar Jr. and Rina with tears in her eyes. “Congratulations, you two.” Su pulled her son and daughter-in-law into a tight hug.

“Thanks,” Rina said with a warm but still slightly surprised smile. Baatar Jr. still seemed in complete shock, as the rest of the Beifong family piled into the room.

“D-Did you know?” Baatar Jr. quietly asked Rina, finally seeming to have found his voice.

“No, I actually didn’t even think about that,” Rina responded honestly, subconsciously placing a hand on her stomach. “It makes sense now, though, with all the nausea and the vomiting and...wait a second…”

“You knew this whole time, didn’t you?” Rina asked, turning to Kuvira, who was now standing at the door. “That’s why you’ve been acting so protective.”

“Well,... yes,” Kuvira admitted.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Rina asked, chuckling slightly.

“Yeah, it could’ve saved us from all this,” Baatar Jr. added, his face still looking quite red. 

“Well, at first, I thought you were trying to keep it a secret, so I didn’t want to say anything, and spoil it for you,” Kuvira explained. “After I realized that you didn’t know, I just figured you’d find out eventually.”

“Let’s move on to more important things,” Wei said, clapping his hands together. “How are we on names? I’m thinking ‘Wei’.”

“No,” Baatar Jr. said immediately.

“What?” Wei exclaimed, offended. “Wei’s a great name. _And_ it works for a boy or a girl.”

“I am not naming my child after you,” Baatar Jr. said, seeming to slowly be getting used to the idea of becoming a parent. 

Wei scoffed. “What were you planning on? Junior Jr.? Because that’s just stupid.”

“Alright, alright,” Su said, clearly unable to stop smiling. “We still have eight months to think of names.”

“Less than eight months, actually,” Toph said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you,” Baatar Sr. said tearfully, rushing over to hug his oldest son.

“Thanks, Dad,” Baatar Jr. said.

“Dad, are you crying?” Wing said, sounding surprised.

“Lay off your dad,” Su said with a smile. “He just found out he’s going to be a grandfather.”

“You should’ve seen your Grandpa Sokka when he found out your mother was pregnant with Junior,” Toph said, smiling at the memory.

* * *

Summer 141

“You’re having a baby?!” Sokka shouted excitedly. 

“Yes, in about thirty weeks,” Su said with a smile, placing a hand on her stomach. 

Sokka squealed with excitement, tightly hugging his son and daughter-in-law.

“Dad, are you crying?” Baatar asked.

“I’m just so happy!” Sokka sobbed. “I’m gonna be a grandpa! Toph, did you hear? I’m gonna be a grandpa! You’re gonna be a grandma! This is so great!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard,” Toph said, rolling her eyes but unable to wipe the smile off her face. 

Baatar simply smiled as Sokka’s expressive sobbing continued for a few more minutes. 

“I can’t believe my baby is having a baby of his own,” Sokka said tearfully once his joyful sobs died down. “Your mother would’ve been so happy.” 

After Sokka’s wife, Suki, was killed while eight-and-a-half months pregnant, causing Katara to have to cut the infant out of his dead mother’s womb, Sokka had dedicated his life to raising his son on his own.

“Have you two thought of names yet?” Sokka asked. 

“We’re not sure yet,” Baatar admitted sheepishly. “We don’t even have any ideas at this point.”

“That’s alright,” Sokka assured. “You’ll know when you know.”

In the weeks leading up to Baatar’s birth, Sokka and Suki had been debating on what to name their child, with Sokka wanting either Hakoda or Kya and Suki wanting either Baatar or Kyoshi. 

After Suki’s death, Sokka wanted to grant her one final wish by naming their son Baatar. 

“Yeah, I didn’t have a name picked out for Lin when she was born,” Toph informed nonchalantly. “And then, one day, while I was holding my little two-week-old, it came to me, and I’ve been calling her Lin ever since.”

“Hopefully, it doesn’t take us that long,” Baatar said to Su, somewhat nervously. 

* * *

“Alright, let’s give them some space,” Lin said, chuckling as she ushered everyone out. “Remember, we have an Avatar to find.”

“Alright, alright,” Toph grumbled, replacing the door before leaving.

Just as everyone left Baatar Jr. and Rina’s room, they were met with the sound of a heated argument coming from the kitchen.

“You are just so…” Mako groaned in frustration. “I don’t even have words for what you are.”

“Try ‘genius’, Master of the Mundane,” Iara said, rolling her eyes.

“What’s the problem this time?” Lin asked, rolling her eyes at the pair. 

“This _psycho_ is putting fireflakes on pancakes!” Mako exclaimed. “And in her lychee juice!”

“I like fireflakes,” Iara said irritatedly. “And I should be allowed to eat them without this spoilsport ruining them for me.”

“I am _not_ a spoilsport!” Mako said heatedly.

“Oh, really, that’s pretty shocking,” Iara said, feigning surprise. “You really do seem like one.”

“That is enough,” Lin ordered, pulling the two apart. 

“For people who hate each other, you do seem to seek each other out a lot,” Asami pointed out with a smirk, nudging Bolin who also began laughing at the pair.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mako asked angrily.

“Oh, nothing,” Bolin said simply, causing Mako to groan in frustration.

After breakfast, the group returned to Republic City to fill the others in on what they had learned from Toph. 

As soon as Lin entered her office, she called General Iroh. 

“Hello, Iroh,” Lin greeted. “No, we haven’t found her, but we have some important information… Yes, yes, I’m in the process of getting everyone over here...Yes, that would be great, thank you...Yes, thank you, see you soon.”

“Will you stop smirking at me, Su?!” Lin huffed barely a moment after ending her call with Iroh. 

“Your heart doesn’t beat that fast when you’re on phone calls with your other colleagues,” Toph pointed out with a smirk, causing Su to snicker in the background. 

“I have other phone calls to make,” Lin mumbled, picking up the phone. “I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

Over the next hour, those Lin considered significant in the search for Korra arrived one by one at the police station. 

“Daddy!” Iara exclaimed excitedly, running over to hug her father the moment he walked through the doors. 

“There’s my littlest water baby!” Bumi chuckled loudly, picking his youngest daughter up as he hugged her tightly. 

“Uncle Tenzin!” Iara greeted excitedly pulling her much more serious, airbender uncle in for a hug. 

“Hello, Iara,” Bumi’s younger half-brother, Tenzin, greeted with a small smile.

“Where are your other kids, Bumi?” Bumi’s younger half-sister, Aiko, asked, receiving a hug from her niece. 

“Hmm, let’s see,” Bumi started. “Iroh should be here soon, Kanna’s at the palace doing trainee Fire Lord stuff with Izumi, Isao’s been working as a healer in the Northern Water Tribe, Gyatso’s teaching firebending on Ember Island, Norbu’s teaching airbending at the Southern Air Temple, Akira’s going around to the different Air Temples learning different airbending techniques, Dawa’s at University of Caldera researching historical relations between the elements, Kuzon’s there too but studying Fire Nation literature, Amaya is finishing up her United Air Force training, and Hakoda’s in the Southern Water Tribe learning healing from Aunt Katara.”

“How do you keep up with all of them?” Aiko asked, shaking her head. 

“I can barely keep track of my three,” Tenzin said, looking uncharacteristically impressed with his brother. “You have _eleven_.”

Bumi simply shrugged. “Speaking of, how are my little nieces and nephew?” he asked. 

“They’re alright,” Tenzin said, looking somewhat guilty at being unable to list his children’s activities the way his brother had. “All progressing quite well with their airbending, well except for Ikki, of course.”

Bumi nodded in acknowledgement, understanding what it’s like growing up a nonbender in a bending family. 

“She’s on her own path,” Bumi said assuredly, clapping Tenzin on the shoulder. “And remember, you can always come to your resident nonbender for help and guidance.”

Tenzin nodded hesitantly. “Thank you, Bumi,” he said sincerely. 

Iroh, along with Korra’s mother, Senna, and Izumi’s younger sisters, Ursa and Kya, were the last to arrive. 

“Admiral,” Iroh greeted his father formally, although clearly trying to hold back a smile. 

“General,” Bumi greeted back feigning seriousness for about a second before bursting into laughter and pulling his oldest son into a hug. 

“I apologize for the delay,” Iroh told Lin after hugging his father and sister. “I was en route to the Northern Water Tribe when you called.

“Not a problem,” Lin assured with a smile. “I’m happy you’re here.

Su snorted with laughter while Toph simply smirked at the pair. 

“Is everything alright?” Iroh asked, looking confused by Su and Toph’s reactions. 

“Yes,” Lin assured, shooting a glare at her mother and sister. “I don’t know what they’re going on about.”

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get this meeting started,” Lin stated, waiting for everyone to gather around.

“So, we haven’t found Korra, yet,” Lin announced. “But, we have a very good idea of where she could be. As you may know, the vines from the swamp travel all over the world, meaning that, with powerful earthbending, one would be able to sense and make a mental image of different places and people in those places. My mother, Toph Beifong, has used this to attempt to find Korra, and we can confirm that Korra is not on land.”

“What?” Tenzin asked, looking completely confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means she’s either on water or in the air, genius,” Toph scoffed. “You really do take after your father.”

“If she’s either on water or in the air, we’ll definitely have to check all the major ships and planes,” Iroh stated. “I can get started on that right now.”

“Yes, please,” Lin said. “Thank you, General Iroh.”

“No problem, Chief Beifong,” Iroh assured with a smile, before quickly leaving. 

“I’ll go with Iroh,” Bumi said, walking towards the door. “He’ll have an easier time checking the boats with me there.”

“Me, too,” Ursa stated, following Bumi. “With the General of the Army, the Admiral of the Navy, _and_ the General of the Air Force, we should be able to check anything military-related at the very least.”

“From what I know, Korra’s not at the Air Temples,” Tenzin said, after Iroh, Bumi, and Ursa left. “But I could double check the surrounding skies.”

“It’s unlikely she’ll be there,” Lin said. “But it’s worth a shot.”

“I’ll keep you informed,” Tenzin said, leaving as well. 

“We’ll check the boats surrounding the Southern Water Tribe,” Kya said, leaving along with Senna. 

“So, what should we do now, Chief Beifong?” Mako asked. 

“I suppose we just...wait,” Lin said awkwardly, clearly not used to having to wait for others to do things, preferring to take matters into her own hands. 

“We could all go back to Zaofu while we wait for more information,” Su offered. “You know what, why don’t we send messages for everyone to meet at the Beifong Estate for dinner once they’re done searching? Then we’ll all be able to congregate comfortably.”

“Yeah, I agree with Su. No offense, Chief Beifong, but your office is pretty small,” Bolin said. “And there’s no food in here.”

“I suppose that would be alright,” Lin said, sounding a bit hesitant. 

“Lin, calm down,” Toph said for the fifth time that afternoon. 

“I am calm,” Lin snapped, before sighing. “Sorry, Mom, it’s just… I’m just…” She groaned and placed her head in her hands. 

“It’s alright, Linny,” Toph said in a surprisingly kind voice, gently rubbing her daughter’s shoulders. “You’re just worried, and that’s okay. But you’ve done everything you could right now, and stressing yourself out won’t do anything for you or Korra.”

After a few moments, Lin nodded. “Thank you, Mom,” she said with a small smile. 

Toph chuckled and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Anytime, kiddo.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! This chapter took me FOREVER, but here we are. Warning, this is definitely not my best writing, with all the POV switches and flashbacks, but I tried my best. I hope you like it!

Waking up, Korra groaned as her head throbbed. It took her longer than it should have to realize that, rather than lying on her warm, comfortable bed next to her girlfriend, she was outside on the cold, hard ground.

"Oh, guys, she's waking up," an eerily familiar voice called out.

Korra struggled to open her eyes, trying to figure out where she was or at least what happened the night before, a task that was made difficult by the throbbing of her head. All she could remember before waking up outside was saying goodnight to Asami and walking towards their shared bedroom. 

As Korra finally opened her eyes, she noticed that there were three other people with her in what appeared to be a dense forest. As her eyes adjusted, she was shocked to find the three people looked exactly like the three Avatars that came before her.

"What's going on?" Korra mumbled to herself, scooting away from the others.

"We're trying to figure that out, too," the bald boy with tattoos, who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old, said in a reassuring voice. "You were asleep on the ground when we got here, so we've all just been waiting for you to wake up. What's your name?"

"K-Korra," Korra answered hesitantly, still feeling very confused.

"You're the Avatar after me, aren't you?" the boy asked. "It's just Kyoshi, Roku, and I are all Avatars, and you're the only person here that no one else recognizes, so I just figured..."

"Yes, I'm the Avatar after you."

"Cool!" Aang responded with a bright smile.

Looking at Aang's very young face, Korra realized that she, too, didn't look or sound the way she did when she went to bed the night before. Her hair was shorter, her face rounder, and her voice sounded noticeably less mature.

"I look a bit different, too," Aang gently informed Korra, "I could've sworn I was fifty-five yesterday. Well, technically, a hundred fifty-five, but I _looked_ fifty-five. _Now,_ I look twelve. I'm even wearing the same clothes I did at twelve."

"I have the same hairstyle I had in my early twenties," Korra stated, noticing that Aang seemed desperate for someone to connect with. "I haven't styled my hair like that in years."

"That's interesting," Aang said thoughtfully. "I wonder why we were brought back to specific ages."

"Why don't we try to recall what happened at these particular ages?" Roku, who appeared to be in his late twenties, asked.

"Well, I was twelve when I learned I was the Avatar," Aang said, after a few moments' thought.

"That can't be it," Korra said. "I knew when I was two."

"Oh," Aang said, his face falling slightly.

"Good guess, though," Korra quickly added in an encouraging voice.

The four Avatars sat in silence for several moments trying to figure out why they were the ages they were.

Korra studied her appearance more closely, hoping to get a hint about what age she was brought back to. After a few minutes, the answer dawned on Korra. She had been transported back to when she had defeated Kuvira.

Before Korra could voice this discovery, Aang gasped excitedly.

"I defeated the Fire Lord at the age of twelve!" 

"It could be taking us back to the first time we defeated a major enemy," Roku stated. "I was twenty-eight when I defeated a dictator in the Northern Water Tribe."

This didn't fit with Korra's experience as she had defeated Amon when she was seventeen, four years before defeating Kuvira.

"I was seventeen when I first defeated someone, but I'm twenty-one now," Korra stated in a confused voice.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked.

"I'm certain," Korra confirmed, trying not to get frustrated with two of her previous lives who were now looking at her as though she may have been mistaken. "I had a different hairstyle, wore different clothes, looked different overall."

"Did you go into the Avatar state when you first defeated someone?" Roku asked.

"Yes," Korra confirmed.

"Well, then that definitely counts as a major battle," Roku said, looking slightly disappointed.

"What about you, Kyoshi?" Aang asked the tall woman who was sitting a little bit away from everyone else and had yet to speak.

"Well, I was sixteen when I first defeated someone, and that was mostly by accident," Kyoshi answered in a quiet, emotionless voice. "And I think I'm about nineteen now."

At first glance, Korra thought that Kyoshi was being standoffish, however, after hearing the woman speak, she could tell that Kyoshi was simply awkward and uncomfortable around new people.

"Did you have a major victory at nineteen?" Korra asked Kyoshi in what she hoped was a friendly and encouraging voice. "We know Roku and Aang had victories at the ages they're currently at. And I saved the Earth Kingdom from a dictator at twenty-one."

Kyoshi gave a small but sharp nod. "I defeated a Water Tribe pirate."

"Alright, so it definitely has something to do with defeating someone," Aang said cheerfully. "We're on the right track!"

"It also seems like whoever brought us here was aiming to get all of the Avatars from one full cycle," Korra reasoned. "Unless there are more Avatars that we haven't found yet."

"Are we moving?" Kyoshi asked timidly, feeling the ground.

"It feels like it..." Roku said, looking at the others with concern.

Aang gasped suddenly. "I think I know where we are!"

"Erm... Mind letting the rest of us know?" Korra asked after several seconds of waiting for Aang to elaborate.

"We're on a lion turtle," Aang said, jumping up and down with excitement.

The other three simply stared at the twelve-year-old Avatar.

"Lion turtles have been extinct for centuries," Roku stated slowly, clearly believing that Aang was beginning to have some sort of break from reality.

"I thought so, too," Aang explained. "Until I ended up on one when I was twelve and having a crisis about killing the Fire Lord."

Korra, along with the other two Avatars, listened intently as Aang recounted his experience.

"How do we get off this thing, then?" Korra asked.

"Well, last time, it kinda just dropped me off on an Earth Kingdom shore."

"So, we just wait?" Roku asked.

"I guess so," Korra said with a shrug.

"So, how have things been, you know, since I died?" Aang asked Korra after several minutes of the four Avatars sitting in painfully awkward silence.

"They've been...alright...I guess," Korra responded, unsure of how exactly to summarize her entire life so far. "Well, there haven't been too many big incidents since the Earth Kingdom was almost taken over, so that's been pretty nice actually."

"It's always the Earth Kingdom, isn't it?" Roku chuckled, shaking his head.

"It certainly seems like it," Kyoshi answered with a small smile.

"Yep," Aang stated in agreement.

"So, it's been mostly peaceful over the past few years?" Roku asked hopefully.

"Yeah, actually," Korra responded, beginning to feel more relaxed around her past lives. "I mean, there were a few tiny things, but nowhere near what I've dealt with before."

"What was it like before?" Aang asked.

"Well, it all started when I left home to learn airbending..."

* * *

Lin woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested, given that she hadn't slept well at all the night before. Getting out of bed, she was shocked to find that she also felt very light on her feet as though she was several years younger, and her pajamas didn't fit the way that they had just last night when she put them on.

Looking in the bathroom mirror as she got ready for the day, Lin was shocked to see a face that she had last seen several years ago when she was in her early thirties. Upon glancing at her much younger face, Lin let out an uncharacteristic shriek.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" 

Lin jumped at the unrecognizable high-pitched voice and turned to see a little girl.

"Wh-who are you?" Lin asked as sternly as she could, assuming that the child had somehow managed to sneak into the Beifong Estate.

"I am your mother," the girl said, looking momentarily offended before her facial expression quickly changed to one of confusion. "Why is my voice so squeaky?"

"Mom?!" Lin stared open-mouthed at the girl.

"No, I'm Dad," Toph said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"What's going on? We heard screaming," Su said, running into the room with Baatar Sr. following closely behind. Lin noticed that they too appeared several years younger.

"Mom?" Su said, looking at her mother. "Lin, you look younger, too. What's going on?"

"Younger?" Toph repeated, touching her own face before screaming in horror. "Why do I look like a child?!"

Before anyone could come up with an answer another scream was heard, this time from the other side of the house.

"That sounds like Rina," Su said worriedly, running to the room which her oldest son and his wife shared, with Lin, Baatar Sr., and Toph in tow.

"Rina, are you alright?" Su called, knocking on the bedroom door.

Lin noticed from the corner of her eye as her mother's face went pale.

"Something's wrong with Junior," Toph said in an uncharacteristically scared voice.

"What do you mean?" Su asked.

Before Toph could answer, Rina opened the bedroom door, looking pale and frantic.

"Baatar's unconscious and covered in blood and burns and cuts," Rina informed, ushering everyone over to the bed. "He's barely breathing."

Lin suddenly realized what had happened and exactly what time Baatar Jr. had been brought back to.

"We need a doctor immediately," Lin stated firmly before running to Iara's room, feeling grateful that the waterbender had chosen to stay over the night before and hoping that she had at least a small amount of healing ability.

"Iara," Lin called, knocking on the door. "We need your helping urgently."

"Hmmm," Iara hummed, pulling the door open, looking half-asleep. "What's goin' on?"

"Are you able to heal at all?" Lin asked, trying not to panic too much.

At this, Iara immediately became more alert.

"A little bit, why?"

"Baatar Jr.'s very badly injured," Lin explained while hurrying Iara to Baatar Jr. and Rina's room.

"What?" Iara asked. "How?"

"Long story," Lin said simply. "We don't have much time, and I'm not sure of all the details."

Iara gasped in shock upon seeing Baatar Jr.

"I-I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do," Iara admitted nervously. "My healing skills are minimal. I haven't been trained by my grandmother yet."

"That's alright, sweetie," Su said gently, clearly trying to remain calm despite her son lying half-dead on his bed. "Anything you can do for him should help. We don't have time to wait for another healer."

Iara nodded hesitantly before taking the bucket of water that Baatar Sr. handed her and beginning to heal what she could.

The burns appeared to be quickly healing with the cool water, however, after a few minutes, Iara's face went pale.

"Shit," she said under her breath. "He's not breathing."

"What?!" Su exclaimed frantically.

"Get Opal," Iara ordered without looking up, placing her hands slightly above Baatar Jr.'s chest presumably attempting to heal his lungs.

Without asking any questions, Lin sprinted out of the room to get her niece.

Lin practically dragged a dishevelled but alert Opal into the room.

"What do you need me to do?" Opal immediately asked Iara, only looking momentarily shocked at the state her brother was in.

"I need you to pump air in and out of his lungs," Iara stated. "He isn't breathing, and he needs the oxygen now. I've healed his lungs as much as I can, so hopefully they can hold at least a little bit of air."

"Okay."

Opal immediately placed her hands on her brother's chest and using airbending to mimic breathing.

After a few minutes, Baatar Jr. finally began breathing on his own, albeit shallowly, causing Lin to release a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

"I've healed what I can," Iara said apologetically. "We'll need one of the doctors here to bandage the cuts and burns. And then, we'll have to monitor him in case he stops breathing again."

Baatar Sr. hurried off to get a doctor.

* * *

After Korra was done with her explanation, the other Avatars looked both surprised and impressed. 

"I can't believe you know Tenzin," Aang said excitedly. "He seems to be doing really well. That's so great!"

"Yeah," Korra said with a smile. "And I know Azula and Aiko and Bumi."

"Really?!" Aang said incredulously. "How are they? What have they been up to?"

"Well, Azula retired from her job as a prison guard at the Boiling Rock, but she still goes there to give rehab clinics sometimes," Korra informed. During Aang's time, the prison system in the Fire Nation had gone through numerous reforms, including better rehabilitation programs to help reintegrate inmates into society. "She also helped me master firebending."

"Oh, that must've been interesting," Aang chuckled.

"Yeah," Korra said, remembering her time training with the Fire Nation princess, but not wanting to say something that could be taken the wrong way, especially in front of Azula's husband. "She's pretty... _intense_."

"Intense is an understatement," Aang said lightheartedly. "She means well, but sometimes, she can be downright scary."

"Yeah," Korra sighed, feeling relieved that Aang understood where she was coming from. "How did you two end up together? You seem so different."

"Hmm, you know, I'm not actually sure..." Aang said. "It kinda just happened."

* * *

Winter 110

"Daddy! Daddy!" 

Aang paused the advanced firebending move that he was practicing to see his three-year-old son quickly toddling towards him, an excited smile on his face.

"Whatcha got there, Boom?" Aang asked.

"Seashell!" Bumi said excitedly, showing Aang the large seashell in his hands.

"Wow! A seashell!" Aang said enthusiastically. "That's so cool!"

"Cool!" Bumi repeated, shoving the seashell into his father's hands. "For you, Daddy."

"Thank you, Boom." Aang pulled his little boy in for a big hug.

"You're welcome," Bumi said with a bright, toothy smile. "I go play with Uncle Sokka."

With that, Bumi promptly sprinted across the beach to where Sokka was standing and waiting for him.

Aang smiled as he watched his son, thinking about all of the difficulties the little boy had already faced in his young life.

Less than a year before Bumi was born, Aang had met and fallen head-over-heels in love with Bumi's mother, Min, quickly marrying her, despite several warnings from his close friends. Aang had only understood his friends' apprehensions about Min a few months ago when she had packed up her belongings and left after discovering that Bumi was a nonbender and that Aang would not abandon him because of this.

While there were a few moments, especially at first, where Bumi would cry for his mother, those moments were now few and far between. Unfortunately, Bumi was aware that his mother had left because of him as Min had shouted in the small boy's face before leaving.

Aang was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"You're doing it wrong," Azula said bluntly. "Your knees aren't bent enough, and your elbows are bent too much and angled wrong."

While several years ago, Aang would've immediately braced himself and prepared for battle at the sound of Azula's voice, now Aang considered her a friend. After spending time in a mental institution, breaking out, betraying Zuko while he was attempting to help her, before ultimately switching sides and saving Zuko's life, Azula had proven herself as a worthy ally and potential friend. While Azula was beginning to act more and more like her strong, straightforward self around Aang and his close friends, she would still occasionally seem awkward around them, a trait that Aang was beginning to feel was hereditary.

"Oh." Aang quickly adjusted his form. "Like this?"

"More like this." Azula took the liberty to move Aang's limbs until his stance was correct. "Try it now."

Aang repeated the firebending form that he had been unsuccessfully attempting for nearly an hour. This time, when Aang finished the move fire finally shot out of his fist.

"Wow!" Aang exclaimed. "It actually worked."

"Of course, it worked," Azula scoffed. "I've only been firebending since I was a year and a half. It's not like I know _anything_ about firebending."

"Haha," Aang said, lightheartedly rolling his eyes before immediately going back to practicing his firebending.

"Not wearing your wedding ring?" Azula raised an eyebrow as she adjusted Aang's left elbow yet again.

"Not married anymore," Aang responded simply.

"If she left because of your firebending, I have to say she would be justified in doing so," Azula said with a smirk. "No offense, of course."

"Of course," Aang chuckled before sitting down and turning serious. "Nah, she left because of Bumi's lack of bending not mine."

Azula sat down beside Aang. "Well, I'm sure everyone's already told you this, but it's really for the best," she stated sincerely. "All you need is one look at Zuko to know what happens when a child is stuck with a parent that doesn't want them."

Aang nodded, feeling very grateful for Azula's words. "Thank you."

Azula gave a single nod and placed her hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Well," Azula started, standing up. "We have some work to do if you want your firebending to be half-decent."

Aang simply laughed as he stood up and went back to practicing.

* * *

"After a while, firebending practice turned into sparring, and sparring turned into post-sparring walks through the garden which turned into post-walk dinners, and then we just sort of fell in love, I guess," Aang said with a small smile, his cheeks turning red.

"That's actually really sweet," Korra said with a smile. "It almost reminds me of my girlfriend and I. We weren't exactly friends at first, and then after a couple years, we were spending all our free time together."

"It's weird how that sometimes happens, isn't it?" Roku asked with a sentimental smile.

"It is," Kyoshi sighed with a nod.

* * *

Waking up that morning, Iroh knew immediately that something was not right. While he was in great physical shape, in his early forties, Iroh was nowhere near as quick and energetic as he was when he was a young adult. He practically jumped out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to get ready for another day of Avatar-searching. Feeling his face, he was surprised to find that his face felt clean-shaven despite Lin lightheartedly teasing him about his stubbly face just the night before. Iroh simply shrugged this off, assuming that Lin must've been exaggerating, despite how out of character this would be. Looking at his reflection as he brushed his teeth, Iroh realized why his face felt different. His sixteen-year-old face was now staring back at him in the mirror. After hurriedly brushing his teeth and getting dressed, Iroh ran to the telephone to call Chief Lin Beifong, who was not only a colleague and friend of several years but also the woman he had been seeing romantically over the past few months. As Iroh was the General of the United Forces Army and Lin was the Chief of the Republic City Police Department, the two would often work together on bigger cases, specifically those involving the Avatar. Over the number of years that they had worked together, they had become close friends, often spending time together outside of work. About five months ago, the two had begun a romantic relationship but made the mutual decision to keep it a secret from everyone, especially friends and family.

Entering the phone number for the Beifong Estate, Iroh tapped his foot impatiently waiting for someone to answer.

"Hello. Beifong Estate," Su answered. "Su Beifong speaking."

"Hello, Su, is Li-- _Chief Beifong_ there?" Iroh asked quickly.

" _Both_ Chief Beifongs are here actually," Su said with a smirk that Iroh couldn't see but could definitely tell was there. "You'll have to be more specific."

Iroh sighed, trying not to get frustrated with his girlfriend's sister. "Is Lin there? It's urgent."

"Lin!" Iroh heard Su call. "General Iroh's on the line! He says it's urgent!"

"Hello, Iroh," Lin greeted after a few seconds.

"Hi, Lin." Iroh sighed in relief hearing Lin's voice. "This is gonna sound crazy but..."

Lin chuckled, causing Iroh to stop in confusion. "Let me guess. You woke up this morning several years younger than you were when you went to bed last night?"

"So it's the same over there?"

"It is," Lin confirmed, before going on to briefly discuss what she knew about what had happened.

"Didn't Korra turn twenty-seven last week?" Iroh asked, suddenly realizing something significant.

"Yes..." Lin said slowly. "Why?"

"Just hear me out," Iroh started. "Yesterday, I was forty-three, right?"

"Right..." Lin repeated.

"And now, if I were to guess what age I was, I'd say sixteen, I'm wearing the same clothes I wore when my dad told me Grandpa Aang died," Iroh said. "That's twenty-seven years."

"Of course, you'd remember exactly what you were wearing on a specific day," Lin chuckled. "But that _is_ a fair point. But if this has something to do with the Avatar cycle, why are the younger people around seven years younger?"

"Well, what happened around seven years ago?" Iroh asked.

"Well, it _has_ been about seven years since the Earth Empire incident," Lin said, sounding unsure. "It was Korra's most recent major battle, but it seems too Korra-specific to fit the pattern."

"And we also have the problem of your mother turning into a little kid," Iroh added.

"Why don't we get yesterday's group here along with as many world leaders as we can to discuss," Lin suggested. "That way we'll be able to prevent a mass panic and possibly come up with more theories."

"Sounds like a plan," Iroh said. "I can get my parents, my aunts, both of my grandmothers, and probably President Raiko."

"Great," Lin said. "Senna's already here. I'll just contact Tenzin, King Wu, and Desna and Eska."

"Oh, and also, if you can get your grandmother Katara or aunt Kya or both here as soon as possible, that would be very much appreciated."

"Sure," Iroh said, feeling confused. "May I ask why?"

"Remember the state Baatar Jr. was in after the Earth Empire was dismantled?"

"Oh, shit," Iroh remarked, recalling how most were certain that Baatar Jr. wouldn't survive long enough to be able to stand trial given the extent of his injuries. "Yeah, I'll fly them over there as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Lin said. "Your sister was able to keep him stable but his injuries are quite bad."

"That's good," Iroh sighed. "If she can at least keep him alive for the next hour or so, that should give me enough time to call either my grandma or my aunt and have them fly over there."

"I'll let you go now," Lin said promptly.

"Okay. See you soon."

After hanging up the phone, Iroh immediately started dialing the phone number for the Fire Nation Palace.

"You have reached the Fire Nation Royal Palace," one of the servants answered. "Please state your name and business."

"General Iroh, Prince of the Fire Nation," Iroh stated. "I need to speak with my grandmother, Master Katara."

"Please give me a moment," the woman stated, likely asking someone to find Iroh's grandmother.

After a few minutes, the woman began speaking again. "Unfortunately, Master Katara is unavailable at the moment, would you like to leave a message?"

"Erm, no, thank you," Iroh said, trying to think quick. "Is my aunt Princess Kya available?"

"One moment please," the woman sighed.

"Yes, Iroh?" Kya's voice sounded through the phone after a few minutes.

"I need you to fly over to the Beifong Estate as soon as possible, please," Iroh stated. "Someone is very seriously injured. Iara's keeping him alive, but the injuries are extremely bad."

"I'll be there soon," Kya said before immediately hanging up. 

As Iroh hung up the phone, he gave a sigh of relief promptly calling President Raiko and his aunt Ursa before flying with Ursa on her United Forces Air Force jet to the Fire Nation Palace.

* * *

Just as Lin was finishing up the last of her phone calls, Su walked in and sat down, looking visibly shaken.

“Are you alright, Su?” Lin asked.

Su nodded in response. “Kya showed up,” she answered, looking down at the floor. “She’s healed all of Junior’s internal injuries. She even managed to heal his spine a little bit, not enough that he won’t have any complications, but she says he might have some movement after a while, maybe even very slow walking. So, that’s good.”

“That’s very good news, Su,” Lin said, placing a reassuring hand on his sister’s arm.

“I-I can’t imagine what he must’ve been like before,” Su said in a quiet, broken voice. “I should’ve gone to see him. I was just so angry with him, but...he c-could’ve died, a-and I...I didn’t want to see him.”

Lin sighed as she gently rubbed her distraught younger sister’s back. “I know you regret your actions,” she said. “But this is a chance for you to do something different this time around. You’ve already done so much better this time, both you and Baatar. You both sat with him and held his hands the entire time he was being healed. Last time, he didn’t have anyone.”

“I-I suppose you’re right,” Su said, sounding unsure.

“Of course I’m right,” Lin said with a smirk. “So, how’s Baatar Jr. doing now that Kya’s healed him?”

“He’s alright,” Su said. “Still asleep, though. Kya says he’s probably exhausted from the injuries and the healing and everything. She says he should wake up before the end of the day, but he’ll be confused and in pain at least for a little while.”

“Wow,” Lin said, feeling very surprised to hear this information. “That’s a lot better than last time. He was unconscious for almost two weeks last time, and delirious for about a week afterwards.”

Su looked down upon hearing this. “Well, this time he has waterbending healers.”

“And his family,” Lin added.

Su nodded. 

“So, how’s Rina?” Lin asked after a few minutes of silence.

“She’s alright, a bit shaken by everything that happened with Junior, but alright overall,” Su said, beginning to look much calmer. “Mom’s been helping her keep calm, you know, for her own health and the baby’s.”

“That’s good,” Lin said genuinely.

Just then the doorbell rang.

“That should be Iroh and the others,” Lin stated, looking at her watch and noting that it was already noon. 

“Ooooh,” Su teased. “A surprise visit from the General.”

Lin rolled her eyes. “It is not a ‘surprise visit’!” she exclaimed. “I called him over here.”

“Oh, did you now?” Su joked, batting her eyelashes.

“Yes,” Lin stated sternly. “Along with his parents and a host of world leaders. This is not a _personal visit_ , Su!”

Su simply laughed at her sister’s expense.

“Aunt Lin!” Opal’s voice called out. “General Iroh’s here!”

Lin promptly stomped out of the room and made her way to the front door, where iroh was standing and waiting for her.

“Hello, Lin,” a very young and somewhat stressed-looking Iroh greeted. “There’s been a bit of an... _unforeseen_ development.”

“How so?” Lin asked.

“You’ll have to see it to believe it,” Iroh said, leading Lin outside.

At first, Lin didn’t notice anything peculiar about the scene, other than the fact that Bumi, Izumi, and Katara looked several years younger. After closer inspection, Lin noticed that a fourth person was standing among them, a pale teenager with an angry-looking red scar covering the left side of his face.

Lin pulled Iroh behind a pillar, obscuring them both from the sight of the three people standing around a dragon.

“Did I just see a teenaged Lord Zuko?” Lin asked in a hushed whisper.

“Yes, you did,” Iroh said nervously, clearly just as confused as she was.

“Didn’t he die last year in his eighties?” Lin asked, knowing the answer.

“Yes, he did,” Iroh responded. 

“And yet, here he is,” Lin stated. “Very much alive.”

“Yes,” Iroh repeated.

Lin sighed deeply, resting her head on her boyfriend’s chest. “What is going on?”

Iroh chuckled, wrapping his arms around Lin's waist and kissing the top of her head. “ _That_ is a very good question.”

“Oooh, what’s going on here?” Su asked, looking at the pair with a smirk.

Lin and Iroh immediately jumped away from each other.

“Erm, w-we...we were just...erm…” Iroh said, blushing quite a bit.

“We were simply discussing a certain, previously deceased person standing with Bumi, Izumi, and Aunt Katara,” Lin answered, glaring at her sister.

Su looked confused around the pillar, and her eyes grew wide as she appeared to immediately understand what Lin meant.

“Is that…”

“Lord Zuko, yes,” Lin answered.

“But he’s…”

“Dead?” Iroh finished. “Apparently not anymore.”

“What _is_ going on?” Su stated.

* * *

“So, how are Aiko and Bumi?” Aang asked Korra excitedly.

“Well, Aiko travels the world studying the ancient Sun Warriors and occasionally teaching firebending,” Korra informed him.

“That’s so cool! That seems like something she’d really love. She’s always really liked visiting new places, and the story about how Zuko and I learned firebending from the Sun Warriors was one of her favorites growing up,” Aang said enthusiastically. “And Bumi?”

“Bumi’s the Admiral of the United Forces Navy,” Korra informed.

“Wow! Admiral?” Aang exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. “He was still a commander when I died. Did you know he was actually rejected from the Navy training camp when he applied as a teenager?”

* * *

Fall 124

Aang watched excitedly as Bumi opened the letter from the United Forces Navy. This letter would determine whether or not Bumi had made it into the Navy training camp, the first step in earning his spot in the United Forces Navy. After years of practicing, studying, and building strong references, Aang was certain that all of Bumi’s hard work would pay off.

“Oooh, what does it say, Bumi?” Aiko asked excitedly.

Aang watched as Bumi’s face fell.

“I didn’t get in,” Bumi said disappointedly.

“ _What?”_ Azula’s eyes glimmered furiously. “How?”

While Bumi wasn’t Azula’s biological son, Aang knew that Azula thought of Bumi as her own, having been like a mother to him since he was four years old.

“They said they don’t accept nonbenders,” Bumi stated, sitting down with a sad smile on his face, a smile that Aang knew would quickly turn into tears and near-silent sobs the moment he thought no one was looking. “Oh, well.”

“No, not ‘oh, well’,” Aiko said, looking nearly as angry as Azula did. “That’s discrimination!”

“Yeah, scrinimations!” four-year-old Tenzin exclaimed with an angry pout on his face, pounding his fists on the table, despite not quite understanding what was going on.

“Aiko and Tenzin are right, Bumi,” Aang said, his heart breaking for his oldest child who clearly felt that his dreams had just been crushed. “You’ve worked just as hard as everyone else. You deserve a chance to prove yourself.”

Aiko scoffed. “Just as hard? _Just as hard?!_ ” she repeated. “He has worked ten times harder than any bender out there. He got perfect grades in school even with his dyslexia, He’s read just about every book on the Navy in existence. He’s always the first to show up to combat practice and the last to leave. He’s trained in every nonbending fighting style. _And_ he can take down benders and other nonbenders.”

“None of that matters if I can’t get into training camp, though,” Bumi said apologetically.

“Wait,” Azula started. “Is training camp a requirement to join the Navy?”

“Well, technically, no,” Bumi stated. “But pretty much everyone who gets into the Navy was in training camp. The traiing camp people are given official equipment and drills to practice. They’re miles ahead of the other candidates by the time recruits are chosen.”

“But people who aren’t from training camp can still participate in recruitment trials?” Aang asked, seeing where Azula was going.

“Yes...” Bumi confirmed, looking suspiciously at his parents. “But they’re weeded out pretty early on.”

Azula and Aang exchanged knowing looks.

“Well, they don’t have access to some of the best benders and nonbenders in their respective fields, now do they?” Azula asked with a smirk.

“Think about it, Bumi,” Aang said excitedly. “Uncle Sokka and Uncle Zuko could teach you swordmanship and battle strategy. Chief Hakoda could teach you about boats and sailing and things like that. Aunt Ty Lee could teach you tumbling and chi-blocking. Aunt Mai could teach you knife-throwing. And you’ll be able to practice against some of the greatest benders of all time _and_ the Avatar.”

“You will be more than capable of destroying the competition in two years’ time,” Azula assured.

“Yeah, the training camp people are gonna regret not taking you,” Aiko stated.

Bumi gave a small smile. “I guess I could try it out.”

* * *

“By the time Bumi was old enough to try out for the Navy, he could hold his own against Toph, Azula, and Katara at the same time,” Aang said proudly. “Those training camp kids didn’t stand a chance.”

“That’s impressive,” Kyoshi said with a smile.

“I’m so proud of that kid,” Aang said sincerely. “Not that I’m not proud of Aiko and Tenzin. I’m very proud of them, too. But being the only nonbender in a bending family couldn’t have been easy, and he had to deal with a lot of cruel comments about that from others from way too young an age. You know, Bumi’s biological mother actually called him useless to his face all because he wasn’t a bender. Can you believe it?”

“That’s terrible,” Roku said sternly.

“It is!” Aang exclaimed. “Joke’s on her, though. Not only is Bumi off doing amazing things all on his own, he’s doing exactly what she said he wouldn’t be able to do. He’s got three airbending kids of his own, so he’s been carrying on the airbender line just fine.”

“Four actually,” Korra informed him. “He had four more kids after you died. One of them’s an airbender.”

Aang gasped in excitement. “Four more kids?!” he said excitedly. “That’s _eleven kids_ ! That means I have _FOURTEEN_ grandkids! Or more on the off chance that Aiko has any kids…”

“She doesn’t,” Korra confirmed. “She’s more of the cool aunt type.”

“She never wanted kids of her own,” Aang said with a lighthearted shrug. “She used to hate even being around them.”

“She seems pretty good with Tenzin’s kids, though.” Korra said.

“That’s because Bumi and Izumi’s kids warmed her up,” Aang said with a laugh.

* * *

Fall 127

“Hey, guys,” Bumi greeted his daily with a tired smile, still in his pajamas, holding both of his newborns in his arms. As Bumi and Izumi had been close friends for years before becoming a couple at the age of sixteen, no one was surprised when they decided to get married at the young age of eighteen. Everyone, including Bumi and Izumi themselves, however, was surprised when Izumi fell pregnant only two years later, as both Bumi and Izumi had both been very focused on their respective careers. Izumi had been beginning to focus on a political career, having chosen to accept her role as the next Fire Lord. Because of this, she was able to remain in the Fire Nation capital during most of her pregnancy. As Bumi had quickly progressed in the Navy and had been promoted to lieutenant at the young age of twenty, he had been allowed to conduct United Forces Navy training in the Fire Nation during the later months of Izumi’s pregnancy and had been given six months off after the twins were born.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hey, there, Lieutenant. We just thought we’d stop by and visit you guys,” Aang said with a smile, deliberately leaving out the fact that Izumi had sent them a telegram about an hour earlier asking if they could come over and help Bumi, as she had meetings that morning, and Zuko and Katara were in the Southern Water Tribe as Hakoda had gotten sick again. “Let us help you with those little ones.”

Aang gently took Kanna from Bumi’s arms while Azula took Iroh.

“Thank you,” Bumi sighed. “They actually slept pretty well for the first few weeks, but recently, they’ve just decided that sleeping more than an hour and a half at a time is not their thing.”

“How long have they been asleep this time?” Aang asked.

“About five minutes before you all showed up,” Bumi responded with a tired chuckle.

“Did you even sleep last night?” Azula asked. “You look terrible.”

Bumi laughed. “Thanks, Mom,” he responded. “And nope, not with one of those two waking up every hour. Usually Izumi and I alternate, but she’s had mandatory meetings since 5:30 this morning, so I didn’t want to wake her up last night. I was really hoping that the twins would’ve fallen asleep a bit earlier, though.”

“Well, unless you have something more important to do today, you have plenty of time to get some sleep and probably take a bath,” Aang said. Having had Bumi at the age of nineteen, Aang knew very well how exhausting being a young father could be. “We’ll watch the little ones.”

“You sure?” Bumi asked with a glimmer of desperate hope in his eyes.

“Go to bed, Bumi,” Azula ordered.

“Thank you,” Bumi sighed gratefully, beginning to walk away. “Just wake me up if you need anything.”

After nearly two hours, Aang decided to check on Bumi.

“Koko, can you just watch Iroh for me, please?” Aang asked, handing Aiko the baby who was now beginning to wake up. “I’m gonna check on Bumi.”

“Erm...okay…” Aiko said reluctantly, awkwardly holding the infant in her arms. “What am I supposed to do with him?...”

Aang chuckled at Aiko’s discomfort with babies. “Just check his diaper and change him if he needs to be. It’ll probably just be pee considering he’s not smelly and crying,” he said. “After that, you can just hold him for a bit. I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Okay…” Aiko said hesitantly.

“Thanks, kiddo,” Aang said, hurrying over to Bumi and Izumi’s bedroom. 

Peeking inside, Aang found Bumi sprawled on his stomach on the large bed on top of the blankets, his mouth wide open. Aang chuckled quietly as he used airbending to maneuver his oldest son under the covers. While he would’ve loved to manually lift his son under the blankets, this was a very difficult task as Bumi was over a foot taller than him and significantly more muscular, especially after being in the Navy for a few years. Aang instead settled for tucking Bumi in after the blankets were out from under him before placing a gentle kiss on ihs forehead. Despite not reacting at all to being airbended a couple of inches into the air, Bumi stirred slightly at Aang’s loving gesture.

“Mmmm, wushapnin?” Bumi mumbled sleepily.

“Shhh, just go back to sleep,” Aang whispered.

“M’kay, ‘Zumi, love you…” In seconds, Bumi was once again fast asleep.

Aang chuckled and continued watching his son sleep for a few more minutes.

While Aang hadn’t been away for more than ten minutes, it had certainly been more than enough time for Aiko.

“Take him,” Aiko growled, shoving the giggling infant into her father’s arms.

“What happened?” Aang asked worriedly.

“He peed on me!” Aiko said angrily. “I checked his diaper, just like you said. And he peed in it, _just like you said_. And then as I was grabbing a clean diaper, he PEED ON ME!”

“That can happen sometimes with little boys,” Aang laughed, tickling his grandson who was smiling affectionately up at him. “Huh, little Iroh? Do baby boys sometimes make oopsies and pee on their aunties?” Iroh giggled in response.

“I’m getting my womb cut out,” Aiko grumbled.

“I thought you were a lesbian,” Azula pointed out with a smirk, walking into the room, holding Kanna in her arms. “That should cancel out the possibility of accidental pregnancy.”

“I don’t wanna take any chances.”

* * *

Winter 137

“Are you sure this is okay with you?” Bumi asked for the fifth time that hour and what felt like the hundredth time that week. “I love my kids, I really do, but they are a lot to handle, especially today. Iroh and Kanna have been butting heads all week. And Isao had a bad day at school, so he’s been cranky all day. And Gyatso’s two, so that is what it is. _And_ Norbu just started teething a few days ago. Are you completely sure you’re okay with looking after them?”

“Bumi,” Aang sighed, lightheartedly rolling his eyes. “For the...how many times has it been so far?”

“Forty-seven,” Azula called from the family room. 

“Forty-seventh time,” Aang continued. “Mom and I are perfectly happy to look after our grandkids for the evening. You and Izumi deserve a night off, and it’s not like you can cancel.”

“I know,” Bumi groaned. “But I just feel guilty leaving you guys with all of them.”

“No offense, Bumi,” Azula drawled, striding into the room. “But if you and Izumi can handle them on a daily basis without any major issues, your father and I will be perfectly fine.”

“And we have Tenzin and Aiko here,” Aang added. “It’s three adults and one near-adult versus five children, we’ll be fine.”

“Alright,” Bumi said hesitantly. “I’ll just go get them.”

Bumi walked out to help Izumi with the children and their bags. Bumi, Izumi, and their children were visiting Republic City for the next two weeks as Bumi had a Navy ceremony to attend that evening and both Bumi and Izumi used this as an excuse for their children to spend some time with Bumi’s family.

“Hi, Uncle Aang,” Izumi greeted her in-laws while holding her four-month-old baby. “Hi, Aunt Azula.”

“It’s good to see you, Izumi,” Azula said, giving her niece a rare hug. While Azula was not a fan of physical contact, Izumi was one of the few exceptions. 

“Are you sure you’re alright looking after the little ones?” Izumi asked, causing Aang to laugh and Azula to roll her eyes.

“Yes,” Azula stated firmly. “As Aang and I have told you and your husband forty-eight times now, we are perfectly, one-hundred percent, absolutely fine looking after your children. Yes, we’re sure. Yes, we’re _definitely_ sure. Yes, all five of them. Yes, we are aware they’ve been having a difficult week. Yes, we are still willing to watch them. Yes, for the entire duration of the ceremony. No, you will not need to leave early. Does that answer all of your questions?”

“I suppose so,” Izumi said, sounding unsure.

Bumi came walking in with the other four children: ten-year-old Iroh and Kanna, five-year-old Isao, and two-year-old Gyatso.

“Hi, Grandma ‘Zula and Grandpa Aang!” Iroh and Kanna greeted simultaneously, while Isao ran over to Aang for a bear hug. 

“Gama! Gapa!” Gyatso laughed and clapped his hands.

“We should leave now if we want to get there on time,” Bumi stated, looking at his watch before turning to his parents. “You’re definitely sure, though? There’s still time to back out.”

“Go!” Azula exclaimed exasperatedly.

“Okay.” Bumi smiled nervously before turning to his children looking uncharacteristically serious. “Be good for your grandparents, alright, kiddos?”

“We will, Dad,” Iroh said with a smile.

“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Bumi chuckled, ruffling his oldest son’s hair while Izumi handed Norbu over to Aang prompting an immediate meltdown.

“Oh, no,” Izumi said, reaching for her son back. “Maybe we should stay.”

“Nope,” Aang chuckled, shaking his head. “Your aunt and I can handle this. Have a good night.”

Once Norbu was calmed down, things began to go fairly well. That is until Iroh and Kanna began arguing.

“No, Kanna, that’s my one!” Iroh shouted angrily.

“No, it’s mine!” Kanna responded. “Your’s is shorter!”

“It is not!” Iroh screamed. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Aiko said, rubbing her temples. “What’s going on here?”

“Kanna stole my purple crayon, Aunt Koko.”

“I did not! That’s _my_ purple crayon!”

“No, it’s not! It’s mine!”

“There are two purple crayons here…” Aiko said, picking up two identical purple crayons from the floor. She held the crayons up to show the twins.

“Yes, that one’s Iroh’s and _that_ one is mine,” Kanna stated, pointing to the crayons.

“No, that one is my one and the other one is yours, Kanna!” Iroh argued angrily.

“No, your one is shorter than my one!” Kanna shouted back.

Aiko couldn’t see any difference between the two crayons at all.

“Can’t you two just share the crayon?” Aiko asked desperately.

“No!” Both children shouted, angrily turning to their aunt.

“I am not sharing with _him_ ,” Kanna stated firmly, crossing her arms.

“And _I’m_ not sharing with _her_ ,” Iroh stated, crossing his arms as well.

Just as Aiko was attempting to come up with some way to diffuse the situation, Gyatso came running into the room with Aang running desperately behind him. The two-year-old immediately began jumping on the couch.

“No, no, no, Gyatso,” Aang said, picking the bouncing two-year-old up off the couch. “Off the couch, buddy.”

“NO!!!” Gyatso shouted before throwing himself to the floor and scream-crying.

“I’m sorry, buddy, but we can’t jump on the couch. We could get hurt,” Aang explained tiredly. “Why don’t we play something else?”

“No! No! No!” Gyatso repeated angrily, pounding his fists on the floor.

“How about coloring?”

“No!”

“Tickles?”

“No!”

“Hide-and-seek?”

“No!!!”

“We could play otter-penguins…” Aang suggested, sounding desperate.

“Otto Penwins!” Gyatso squealed excitedly, immediately forgetting his previous tantrum. “Otto Penwins!”

With that Aang and Gyatso waddled away.

Meanwhile, Azula was building a puzzle with Isao after finally having put Norbu down for a nap.

After a few minutes of comfortable puzzle building, Isao suddenly burst into tears.

“Erm, what’s wrong?” Azula asked awkwardly. While she meant well, Azula had never been too good at handling other people’s emotional moments. In fact, Azula often handed her own children over to Aang during emotional outbursts as she didn’t want to further upset them.

“Nothing,” Isao sniffled.

“Then why are you crying?” Azula asked. 

Isao simply continued crying.

“Did you have a bad day?” Azula asked in a voice that she hoped sounded gentle and sympathetic, attempting to remember how Aang had handled these moments with their own kids.

Isao nodded.

“What happened?”

“Well, first, I stepped in mud with my new shoes,” Isao recalled, his lip trembling. “Then, Mommy packed me green grapes instead of purple ones for snack time. And then, Kimi pushed me on the playground, and I scraped my arm.” Isao then burst into tears, clinging to his grandmother.

“Oh,” Azula squeaked as her grandson rammed into her, rubbing his face against her shoulder. “It’ll be alright,” she assured, gently rubbing the small boy’s back.

Just then, Norbu started screaming.

“Fantastic,” Azula grumbled, still holding Isao in her arms. “Tenzin! Can you check on Norbu?!”

“Okay!” Tenzin called, running over to the room where the infant was sleeping.

By the time Bumi and Izumi returned, all five children were fed, bathed, and in bed fast asleep.

“Did everything go alright?” Izumi asked worriedly.

“Perfectly,” Aiko grumbled, still holding the purple crayons in her hands.

“Oh, no, that doesn’t sound good,” Bumi chuckled nervously.

“I don’t understand how one of these is supposed to be taller than the other,” Aiko complained. “They look _identical_.”

“And yet Iroh and Kanna can find a difference,” Izumi chuckled. “Honestly, they’ve been finding the stupidest things to argue over this week.”

“But the moment you try to get involved, they turn on you,” Bumi added. 

“Ain’t that the truth?” Aiko grumbled. “If I ever mention the idea of having kids of my own, just let me hang out with your kids again. That should fix that right up.”

“It wasn’t too bad, was it?” Bumi asked with a nervous smile.

“No,” Aang reassured his son. “It actually went pretty well, considering they didn’t have the best week.”

“They just like torturing Aiko,” Tenzin teased.

“I changed Norbu’s diaper three times and Gyatso’s once, and I changed Isao’s diapers a couple times when he was that age,” he added smugly. “And I’ve never been peed on once.”

“I hate you,” Aiko growled at her younger brother. 

* * *

Spring 146

“Aiko, can you just watch Dawa and Akira for a moment, please?” Izumi asked desperately. “Iara, Hakoda, and Amaya haven’t been feeling well, so I’m having Kya look them over, and she’s not too busy right now. Kuzon, Norbu, and Gyatso are all at their friends’ houses, so you won’t need to worry about them, and Isao, Kanna, and Iroh are old enough to take care of themselves. I just need you to keep an eye on Dawa and Akira.”

“Fine,” Aiko agreed reluctantly, noting the desperation in Izumi’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Izumi sighed gratefully. “I shouldn’t be more than half an hour.”

“Dawa! Akira!” Izumi called for her identical twin daughters who, unfortunately for Aiko, were dressed identically as well. 

“Yes, Mom!” both girls responded simultaneously.

“I’m taking Amaya, Hakoda, and Iara to Aunt Kya,” Izumi informed the girls. “I won’t be long. I want you to be on your best behavior for Aunt Aiko, alright?”

For a moment, Aiko could see the familial resemblance between Izumi and Azula.

“We will, Mom,” one of the girls said sweetly.

“We’ll be on our very best behavior, Mom,” the other girl added.

Izumi raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“They shouldn’t be able to try anything too crazy in less than half-an-hour,” Izumi said to Aiko. “But I’m apologizing beforehand. I think they’re going through a pranking phase. I hope it’s a phase, anyway.”

“Great,” Aiko mumbled sarcastically.

“So, how do I tell you two apart?” Aiko asked the seven-year-olds, once Izumi had left with her three youngest children.

“Easy,” one of the girls said. “I’m Akira.”

“And I’m Dawa.”

“See, easy!” the girls said simultaneously.

“Super easy,” Aiko grumbled sarcastically.

The girls immediately sped off excitedly.

“Dawa! Akira!” Aiko called after three minutes of unsuccessfully attempting to find the identical twins. “Where are you two?!”

Just then, something squishy and white landed on Aiko’s head, something that Aiko quickly identified as a cream pastry. Aiko looked up to find the two girls giggling hunched down behind the staircase railings.

“Dawa and Akira!” Aiko shouted furiously. “Get over here right now!”

“Oh, no, Aunt Aiko,” Dawa said, feigning surprise.

“What happened?” Akira asked with a similar expression.

“Why do you have cake on your head?”

“I wonder why,” Aiko said sarcastically.

“I see they got you with their signature cake throw prank,” Iroh chuckled, walking into the room. 

“That’s it,” Aiko said, at her wits end. “I’m separating you two. Dawa, you go sit in that corner over there. And Akira, you go to that other one over there.”

“I’m Akira,” one of the girls stated with a pout.

“And I’m Dawa,” the other said with an identical pout. 

“Can’t you tell us apart?”

Aiko growled. “Fine, _you_ go over there, and _you_ go over there.” She switched the now-giggling girls around.

“What is it this time?” Aiko huffed.

“I’m actually Akira,” one of the girls informed Aiko.

“You were right the first time,” the other girl said, prompting both girls to burst into laughter.

“Oh, haha,” Aiko said sarcastically. “Very funny.”

Iroh chuckled as Aiko walked each girl over to their respective corners.

Aiko sat down next to Iroh on the staircase.

“Are they always like this?” she asked her eighteen-year-old nephew.

“Pretty much,” Iroh chuckled. Aiko quickly noticed that his smile wasn’t quite meeting his eyes.

“What’s up?” Aiko asked, feeling slightly concerned.

Iroh shrugged and shook his head. “Nothing,” he said unconvincingly

All Aiko needed to do was raise an eyebrow for Iroh to open up to her.

“I’ve been feeling a bit...conflicted, I suppose.”

“How so?” Aiko asked.

“You know, how I’m the oldest, right? Well, technically co-oldest with Kanna because we’re twins, but _technically_ technically I’m still the oldest because Kanna was born ten minutes after me, and…”

“Where’s this going?” Aiko cut Iroh off mid-ramble.

Iroh sighed deeply. “I’m supposed to become Fire Lord after Mom, but… I just…” Iroh sighed again, fiddling with his fingers. Fortunately for Iroh, Aiko could tell where this was going.

“But you don’t want to be.”

“Not really,” Iroh admitted reluctantly.

“And you’re not sure how to tell your parents.” Aiko placed a sympathetic hand on her nephew’s shoulder.

Iroh simply nodded.

“That’s rough, buddy,” Aiko said, drawing a smile and the tiniest chuckle out of the dejected teenager.

“But lucky for you got some pretty great parents,” Aiko assured. “And about a million siblings, so there’s no shortage of future Fire Lords. Not to mention Kanna seems more like the political type.”

“She definitely is,” Iroh stated. “She knows way more about this stuff than I do.”

“Then what’s the big deal?” Aiko asked.

“I...I just don’t want to disappoint anyone,” Iroh mumbled.

“Iroh,” Aiko sighed. “Let me tell you something your father told me years ago: By not being yourself, there will always be one person disappointed in you, and that’s the one person you never want to disappoint. Yourself.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Iroh said quietly.

“Of course I’m right,” Aiko said proudly. “I’m always right.”

Iroh laughed. “Not when you were trying to tell Akira and Dawa apart.”

Aiko rolled her eyes, feeling significantly better now that Iroh was back to his usual self.

* * *

“They really did warm her up,” Korra laughed. “She seems to have a really good relationship with all of them now though.”

“That’s good to hear,” Aang said. “Especially considering the hard time they gave her.”

“It looks like we’ve landed,” Roku pointed out.

“This looks like Earth Kingdom territory,” Kyoshi pointed out once all of the Avatars were off the lion turtle. She looked at Korra and Aang for confirmation as they were the most recent Avatars and would be more likely to know for certain.

“We’re definitely in the Earth Kingdom,” Aang stated. “I can’t tell you where exactly, though.”

“If we are where I think we are,” Korra said, taking in her surroundings. “Then we’re a couple hours out of Zaofu.”

“Zaofu?” Aang asked, clearly confused, causing Korra to remember that Zaofu was a fairly new city, the building on it only having been completed a year or so before she was born.

“It’s a newer city-state on the Earth Kingdom’s southern coast,” Korra explained briefly. “Su Beifong and her husband, Baatar, established and currently run it.”

“Really?!” Aang asked excitedly. “I’m close friends with Su’s mother, Toph, and Baatar’s father, Sokka. I don’t know if you’ve met them. They’re probably pretty old now.”

“I’ve met Toph. She actually helped me with my earthbending,” Korra responded. “But Sokka died when I was really young, so I never got the chance to meet him.”

“Sokka’s dead?” Aang asked with deep sadness. “How?”

“It’s a really long story, but I’ll try my best,” Korra said hesitantly. “A little bit after you died, this group, the Red Lotus, wanted to merge Raava and Vaatu during Harmonic Convergence. And in order to do this, they needed to find me. But no one knew I was the Avatar at that point. The Red Lotus people didn’t know this, of course, but they assumed that you told your close friends who the next Avatar would be--”

“But that’s not even possible,” Roku interrupted.

“Yeah!” Aang agreed angrily. “How would I even know that? How could they think that my friends would know that?”

Aang suddenly gasped. “Wait, they didn’t hurt Sokka, did they?”

Korra looked down sympathetically. “He lived just long enough to get the members of the Red Lotus arrested, but his injuries were really bad, especially considering his age.”

Aang sat down on a large rock, curling in on himself before sobbing.

“I’m so sorry, Aang,” Korra said sympathetically, while both Kyoshi and Roku walked over to comfort their fellow Avatar.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks for all of the comments! I love reading them! This chapter is entirely in Su's POV (except the flashbacks). Please let me know if you prefer the POV shifts in the chapters or if it's better just from one POV. Thanks again!

"Mooommmm!" Wei's voice called from some point of the house.

"Are you okay here with Junior?" Su asked her husband in a hushed whisper.

"Of course," Baatar Sr. assured quietly, still sitting in the bed holding his oldest son to his chest. 

Su kissed her husband on the cheek before hurrying off to see what her youngest child wanted.

"Mom!" Wei called again, allowing Su to track him to Kuvira's room. "Kuvira's hurt but won't accept medical attention!"

"Shut up, you idiot," Su heard Kuvira growl.

"I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!" Wei bellowed obnoxiously.

"Stop screaming, Wei!" Opal yelled. "You're gonna make us all go deaf."

"Kuvira, sit down," Wing ordered. "You're fucking limping."

"I'm fine!" Kuvira insisted irritably.

"Sure, really great," Huan scoffed sarcastically.

"I didn't ask you people to come in here," Kuvira pointed out.

Su sighed deeply before opening Kuvira's bedroom door.

"What is going on in here?"

"Mom!" several voices shouted at once, all trying to explain their side.

"Woah, woah, woah," Su said, lifting both hands. "Slow down. One at a time."

"Kuvira's hurt, Mom," Opal said in an almost overly sweet tone. "She should go see Kya, shouldn't she?"

Kuvira glared at her adoptive sister.

"Let me see," Su gently told Kuvira, sitting down next to her.

"These cuts don't look too deep, so I don't think these necessarily need to be looked at by a healer," Su said, gently cupping her adoptive daughter's face in her hands. While Su would much rather have Kya heal all of Kuvira's injuries, she knew that in order to even get Kuvira to sit down with a healer she would have to compromise. "However, your foot does look pretty badly twisted."

"It's fine," Kuvira insisted, looking slightly fearful. "I don't need a... a healer."

Su sighed, before gesturing for her other children to leave.

"What's going on?" Su asked directly, as soon as Huan shut the door.

"Nothing," Kuvira mumbled.

"Sweetie, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to but you know you can tell me anything," Su assured sincerely, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I...It's just...I..." Kuvira sat completely still and deliberately avoided eye contact with her adoptive mother. "Last time, I was healed by a waterbender, he... he did things a...i-it just wasn't...a great experience..."

"Oh, sweetie," Su sighed, instinctively having an idea of what must've happened from Kuvira's vague explanation and body language.

"It's alright," Kuvira assured much too quickly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to self-soothe. "I...I reported the guy, so no one else would get hurt."

"That's very brave of you, Kuvira," Su stated sincerely.

The mother and daughter remained quiet for a few minutes before Kuvira spoke again.

"It's not that I think Kya would hurt me," she said quietly. "It's...it's just... that was my only experience with waterbending healing and...I...I'm scared."

Kuvira said the last two words in a barely audible voice.

"It's okay to be scared, sweetie," Su gently assured. "And if it makes you feel better, I'll be with you the entire time. Nothing bad will happen, I promise."

After several seconds, Kuvira nodded hesitantly.

"My foot _does_ hurt badly," she admitted sheepishly.

Su smiled. "Here let me help you."

Su half-carried her adoptive daughter over to the mostly-empty sitting room, where Kya was lounging on a couch reading.

"Oh, hey there! Forgot you must've been pretty banged up, too, huh?" Kya said cheerfully to Kuvira.

"It's mostly just my foot," Kuvira mumbled timidly.

"Never took you for the shy type, Great Uniter," Kya said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, she's just a bit nervous being healed with waterbending," Su said with a smile. "But I told her she's in great hands with you."

"Best healer in my class," Kya said proudly. "Almost as good as my mother if I do say so myself. So let's see what we've got here."

Kuvira flinched slightly as Kya drew some water from her pouch and placed her hands just above Kuvira's ankle.

"Okay, so not a break, but it _is_ a fracture," Kya informed Kuvira while healing her ankle. "You can't fully heal bones with waterbending but it definitely helps. So once I'm done healing what I can, I'll just wrap it, and _you_ need to keep off it."

"For how long?" Kuvira asked, looking much calmer now with Kya talking her through everything.

Kya chuckled. "Oh, you're not gonna like this..." she teased. "Ideally, a month, _but_ if you come for healing sessions at least once a day, we could work it down to about two weeks."

"You're agreeing to multiple sessions?" Su blurted out in surprise.

"I can't be off my feet for an entire month," Kuvira stated, looking at her adoptive mother though this was obvious.

"You could get a wheelchair like B.J.," Kya suggested with a shrug. Kya was the only person allowed to call Baatar Jr. "B.J.", as she simply repeatedly referred to him by the nickname until his protests stopped. "Speaking of, how's he doing? Bandage redressing is no joke and he handled it like a pro."

* * *

Several minutes earlier

"Okay _dokay_ , time to change those bandages," Kya said, entering the room carrying various supplies.

"No," Baatar Jr. said firmly, shocking both of his parents.

"Junior, it's not healthy to keep old bandages on," Baatar Sr. said warningly. "You know that."

"I don't care," Baatar Jr. stated, attempting to sit himself up, looking about ready to leave the room.

"Would you really rather risk getting an infection, B.J.?" Kya asked, sounding uncharacteristically serious.

"Yes," Baatar Jr. answered simply. "Yes, I much rather would."

Su sighed, knowing that, despite Baatar Jr. being the only nonbender in the family, he was just as stubborn as any earthbender. If Baatar Jr. made up his mind, there was really no changing it.

"Let's give you a couple minutes to think it over," Su said, leading her husband and his cousin and best friend out of the room before closing the door.

"I don't understand why he's being so stubborn about this," Baatar Sr. said, sounding both confused and concerned. "He was perfectly fine taking the pain meds, and he's even stayed in bed _all morning_ which is a lot for Junior."

"He was fine until I brought up changing his bandages," Kya stated. "I would've brought it up earlier if I knew he'd react like this. Give him some more time to mull it over."

"I don't think any of us expected that response from him," Su sighed.

"What's going on here?" Lin asked, entering the hallway.

"B.J.'s holding a little protest," Kya explained briefly, causing Lin to raise an eyebrow.

"Protest?" 

"He's flat out refusing to let Kya change his bandages," Su explained.

While the others may not have noticed it, Su knew her sister well enough to know that the subtle placement of her hand on her neck and the almost unreadable expression on her face.

"What is it?" Su asked bluntly.

"I don't know the details," Lin admitted hesitantly. "But apparently the prison hospital staff weren't the kindest to him. That could have something to do with it."

"It _does_ seem to be fear-related," Baatar Sr. stated guiltily. 

This made sense to Su as well. This wouldn't be the first time Baatar Jr. used stubborn hostility to mask painful feelings.

"I have an idea," Kya said suddenly, hurrying into Baatar Jr.'s room with Su and Baatar Sr. in tow.

"So, B.J., have you thought about the bandage thing?" Kya asked.

"Yes, I have," Baatar Jr. stated.

"And?"

"I stand by my previous decision," Baatar Jr. said decidedly, crossing his arms as though daring them to argue.

Su huffed, feeling a bit guilty about her increasing annoyance at her injured son.

"Thought so," Kya smirked. "But I have an idea that might change your mind."

"I _highly_ doubt that," Baatar Jr. scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"You're a smart guy, just here me out."

Baatar Jr. huffed and rolled his eyes before gesturing for Kya to continue.

"Okay, so, the problem is _I_ want to change your bandages and _you_ don't want me to," Kya explained. "And as much as those bandages need to be changed, I _totally_ get wanting even a tiny bit of control when you're pretty badly banged up. Trust me, I've been there, kiddo. It sucks."

Su noticed Baatar Jr.'s facial expression soften as Kya spoke.

" _So,_ " Kya continued. "How would you feel about changing your own bandages?" she asked enthusiastically.

"You...you'd let me do that?" Baatar Jr. asked, sounding both surprised and hopeful.

"Yep," Kya assured. "Of course, I'd still have to clean the wounds off because, you know, waterbending, but you don't need waterbending to remove or apply bandages."

"O-okay," Baatar Jr. agreed, looking slightly worried but extremely relieved.

"Awesome!" Kya exclaimed enthusiastically. "So, I'll wet each bandage as we go along, then you'll gently remove the bandage, I'll clean the wound and heal it a bit, and you'll cover it back up with a clean bandage. Sound good?"

Baatar Jr. nodded.

"Let's get started," Kya said, beginning to wet one of the bandages on Baatar Jr.'s legs.

Everything had gone well with Kya and Baatar Jr. working as a team, although Su could see that after a while, the pain was beginning to get to Baatar Jr.

"D-Dad?" Baatar Jr. croaked.

"Yes, buddy," Baatar Sr. responded immediately, squeezing his son's hand.

"C-Can you do the one on my back, p-please?" Baatar Jr. asked with a hint of desperation in his voice. "I...I can't do this anymore. I-It hurts."

"Of course, Junior," Baatar Sr. assured.

After waiting for Kya to wet the large bandage, Baatar Sr. carefully lifted it to reveal the previously severe injury. Su let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the injury which was lightly healed by Iara before being wrapped by the doctors at the Beifong Estate. When she had first seen that wound several hours ago, it had been so deep that, in some places, she could see Baatar Jr.'s broken spinal column. Now, the cut was significantly less deep.

Just as Baatar Sr. managed to get the entire bandage off, Baatar Jr. stiffened, turned his head, and frantically covered his mouth. Su practically threw the bucket she had just cleaned out under her son's chin just in time for him to unceremoniously vomit into it.

Baatar Sr. looked horrified as he held his son. "I-I pulled the bandage off too harshly, didn't I?" he whispered tearfully. "I'm sorry, buddy. I should've been more careful. I'm sorry."

"You were being more careful than B.J. was, Baatar," Kya stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "If you had been more gentle, the bandage wouldn't have come off."

Baatar Sr. sighed but didn't give any other response.

"We're almost done, kiddo," Kya said once Baatar Jr. was done vomiting, and she began healing the wound.

Baatar Jr. nodded into his father's shoulder, now clinging to the older man, who seemed intent on holding his son through the entire process.

"Junior, I need to put the clean bandage on now, buddy," Baatar Sr. said, once Kya was done healing the wound.

As Baatar Sr. attempted to extract himself from his son's arms, Baatar Jr. sleepily shook his head, refusing to let his father go. This didn't surprise Su at all. Even as a child, Baatar Jr. would always seek out his father whenever he felt unwell whether physically or emotionally.

"Would you like me to put the bandage on while Dad holds you, Junior?" Su suggested.

"'K-kay," Baatar Jr. shakily responded.

"Thank you," Baatar Sr. mouthed to his wife, holding his son even tighter.

"There we go, all done, B.J.," Kya said enthusiastically once the last bandage was wrapped.

Baatar Jr. gave no response other than nestling himself further into his father's arms, looking half-asleep.

Kya chuckled. "I just leave you guys then."

* * *

"He's asleep right now," Su informed Kya. "Baatar's still sitting with him."

"Thought as much," Kya said with a chuckle. "Baatar loves his little buddy. He also turns into papa wolf-bear whenever one of his babies get hurt."

Su laughed. "You're one to talk," she said lightheartedly. "When Lu Ten broke his arm, you wouldn't let him out of your sight."

Kya chuckled in response, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her only child. 

"Everyone, conference room, now!" Toph's voice boomed from the intercom that Baatar Jr. had installed a few months ago, causing Su, Kya, and Kuvira to hurry over to the other wing of the house, with Su and Kya practically carrying Kuvira despite much protest.

Alrighty, it's been five minutes," Toph stated authoritatively, clapping her hands together as Su, Kya, and Kuvira entered the room. "Who are we missing? Well, other than Twinkle Toes, Part 2, Waterbending Edition."

"Can't you tell through your super bending sight-senses?" Bolin asked.

Toph huffed and rolled her eyes. "My bending doesn't tell me who's _supposed_ to be here, now does it dumbass?"

"Oh, erm, I-I guess not," Bolin chuckled awkwardly.

"Right now, we're missing Zuko, both Baatars, and Senna," Lin stated quickly, clearly hoping to prevent her mother from further berating Bolin.

"One Baatar is severely injured and the other is comforting his severely injured son," Su stated with a smile despite many in the group already knowing this information.

"Zuko's on bedrest orders. He just got shot with lightning, well, physically speaking anyway. He needs his rest," Katara said sternly.

Su had to assume that she must've had quite the argument with the former Fire Lord to keep him away from the action. When Zuko had died a few years ago, it hadn't been of old age or illness as everyone had been expecting. It had been due to him insisting on going after someone who had attempted to assassinate his oldest daughter and her family.

"Sorr-"

Katara turned sharply to her sister-in-law. "If you apologize one more time, I swear-"

Toph groaned. "Don't tell me firecracker's back with the whole grovelling thing again." Toph pretended to gag. "I thought we were over that shit."

Azula glared at her friends, but remained silent.

"Anyway," Lin started. "Does anyone know where Senna is?"

"Well, last I saw, she was speaking on the phone," Asami stated worriedly. "But that was about fifteen minutes ago."

"She could still be on the phone," Mako suggested with a shrug.

Just then, a very distracted looking Senna walked in.

"Sorry I'm late," she mumbled before sitting down, tapping her foot rapidly and avoiding eye contact.

"Is something going on?" Lin asked.

"Oh, erm, I-I..." Senna stammered nervously. "Y-yes I guess."

"Go on then," Toph said bluntly.

"I-It's a bit...confusing...and kinda unbelievable..."

Bumi chuckeld. "More confusing and unbelievable than all of us being various shades of younger."

"Well, erm, yes and no, I guess," Senna said sheepishly.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Su suggested kindly. "Who was on the phone?"

"My advisor," Senna stated.

"And what did he have to say?" Lin continued, following Su's lead.

"Well, this is where it gets a bit weird," she said. "He told me that there were a few people trying to enter the chief's tent, claiming to be the chief of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Okay..." Lin said, looking confused. "And?"

"I don't remember all the names that my advisor gave, but I remember a few of them," Senna admitted, ringing her hands nervously. "Kya, Hakoda, Sokka, a-and Tonraq."

Several gasps were heard throughout the room.

"They could've been imposters," Lin stated quickly, not wanting everyone to get ahead of themselves.

"I thought the same thing," Senna said. "Until I had my advisor put Tonraq on the phone. He knew things that only the real Tonraq would know. It has to be him."

"W-what did you tell your advisor to do?" Katara asked, understandably shaken as she had just learned that a number of her family members may be alive, not long after learning that her husband who had died only a few years ago was alive and well.

"I told him to accompany them on a plane here. They should be here in a couple hours," Senna stated. "I didn't tell him that anyone else was here, just in case they are imposters. And I also figured that Toph could help confirm whether or not they're lying."

"Very good," Lin said with an impressed nod.

"So, what's our plan in the meantime?" Tenzin asked.

"I think it might be good to come up with a plan of action regarding our nations," Izumi suggested. "By the time Bumi and I came over here, several people had already lined up outside the palace asking for information."

Over the next two hours, a plan was discussed and put into action. The nations' leaders would release the facts that they were certain of to their staff, and the staff would then work on spreading this information across the nation, adding that more information would be released on an as-needed basis. At the end of two hours, most of the leaders, including Senna, Izumi, and Wu, had already completed their tasks.

"Well, that was fun," Su sighed, having just reiterated the plan to her staff in person, entering the large sitting room where most of those currently at the Beifong Estate were now relaxing.

The doorbell rang just as Su had plopped down onto the couch.

"That must be them," Lin stated, leaving to let the Water Tribe individuals in.

"I'll go with you," Toph said, standing up as well. "Just to make sure they're not lying before we let them in here."

"Fair point," Lin nodded.

After several minutes, a group of Water Tribe members and a young woman from the Earth Kingdom entered the room.

"I can't believe you sent Toph to interrogate me!" Sokka exclaimed, sounding highly offended. 

"Sokka..." Katara sighed, running over to hug her older brother.

"Hey, come on, now, you're embarrassing me." Sokka rolled his eyes, but held his sister tightly nonetheless.

"Aww, I told ya they'd get along eventually," a woman known to most of the individuals in the room solely through stories said with a smirk, nudging Hakoda who stood next to her.

"Mom!" Katara exclaimed tearfully, practically throwing her brother to the ground as she clung to her mother.

"Hi, baby," Kya sighed, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"I missed you so much, Mom," Katara sobbed.

After many tearful hugs with her previously-deceased family members, Katara finally seemed able to find her words again.

"Your leg's better," Katara remarked to Sokka with a confused look on her face.

"Tonraq healed it," Sokka explained with a nonchalant shrug.

"And you found Suki," Katara said excitedly, hugging her sister-in-law.

"Yeah, well, it helps that I was buried in the South Pole instead of on Kyoshi Island," Suki chuckled.

"Where's Fire Lord Hothead? Sokka asked, looking around the room. "Isn't this around the time Azula almost turned him into a fried komodo chicken?"

"Sorr-"

"Can it, Princess," Toph ordered Azula.

"Yes, and he should be-"

"Sokka..." Zuko sighed, struggling to walk as he entered the room.

"Zuko!" Sokka exclaimed, practically jumping on his best friend, who despite being quite severely injured, didn't seem to mind at all.

"I missed you so much, buddy," Zuko said, tears streaming down his face.

"Of course, you did," Sokka said, sobbing harder than Zuko was. "I'm a great guy."

"You didn't cry like this when you saw me again," Suki scoffed.

"Not now, Suki," Sokka stated firmly, still hugging Zuko tightly. "It's bro time."

"This is starting to get a bit weird," Ursa said, while her sisters, and many others in the room, simply stared as the hug had been going on for a few minutes at this point.

"Friendship is a beautiful thing," Zuko's uncle, Iroh, said wiping his eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm starting to wonder if Sokka is _my_ husband or Zuko's," Suki muttered under her breath.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Katara chuckled, turning to Zuko with a stern look in her eyes. "You should be resting."

"I accidentally tore one of the bandages and opened the wound again," Zuko explained as he wiped his eyes. "I wanted to see if you or Kya weren't too busy."

Katara's mother lifted her head at the mention of her name.

"We have a daughter named Kya," Katara explained to her mother. 

"Ah," Kya nodded in understanding. "So, this is your husband?"

"Yes," Katara said brightly. "My husband who _just_ got shot with lightning and _should_ be in bed resting."

Kya chuckled. "It's nice to meet you," she said, pulling Zuko in for a hug.

"Oh, erm, n-nice to meet you, t-too, erm, Chief K-Kya, m-ma'am," Zuko stammered nervously, causing both Kya and Katara to laugh.

"He can be a _tiny_ bit awkward sometimes, but he means well," Katara teased before taking her husband's hand. "Back to bed, come on."

Zuko rolled his eyes before allowing himself to be dragged out of the sitting room.

Continuing on from Zuko's introduction, everyone else began introducing themselves to family members that they either hadn't seen in years or hadn't gotten the chance to meet.

"So, how do people tell you apart?" Sokka asked Wing and Wei, eager to know more about his grandchildren. "I definitely can't." 

Wing and Wei looked at each other, clearly never having considered this.

"Well, erm..." Wing said, looking confused.

"We're not really sure..." Wei stated, sounding unsure.

"How do you guys tell us apart?" Wing asked his older siblings. Huan and Opal looked to Kuvira for help.

"Well, you guys dress and act differently, so it's pretty easy," Kuvira said with a shrug.

"That's true," Huan said, looking mildly impressed.

"I can't believe I've never thought about that before!" Opal gasped.

"It's probably because by the time you got here everyone else could already tell us apart," Wing reasoned. This information didn't seem to take Sokka by surprise as Su had introduced Kuvira as her adoptive daughter.

"Yeah, you had to catch up pretty fast," Wei agreed.

"Fair enough," Kuvira said simply.

"Speaking of lookalikes, where are my mini-me and his mini-me?" Sokka asked.

"The time shift has been a bit difficult for Junior," Su admitted. "He was taken back to a pretty bad time for him. Kya's been healing him up in stages, but right now, Baatar's sitting with him."

"Oh no, poor little guy," Sokka gasped.

As the sun began to set, everyone began piling into the dining room as dinner had just been prepared. Katara brought a tray to Zuko's room, and as Su stood up to do the same for her husband and son, Sokka stopped her.

"Please, let me," he said with a smile.

Su happily handed the tray to her father-in-law. "Let me take you to Junior's room," she said, leading Sokka out of the dining room and up three flights of stairs.

"We're here with some dinner," Sokka said as he entered the room with Su standing at the door, eager to see her husband's reaction.

Baatar Sr. was sitting across from Baatar Jr. on his bed, playing pai-sho with his son who was propped up by pillows. He immediately turned around at the sound of his father's voice. The pair had been extremely close throughout Baatar Sr.'s life, as Sokka had been a single father after his wife died.

"D-Dad?" Baatar Sr. stammered tearfully, looking at his father. 

"Hey there, buddy," Sokka said, tearing up as well.

Su just barely had time to take the tray out of Sokka's hands before Baatar Sr. engulfed him in a hug.

"Hey, now, my baby badgermole, you're gonna make me cry," Sokka chuckled, referring to his son by the nickname he had given him years ago when he had first discovered that his son was an earthbender.

* * *

Spring 114

"Daddy!" 

Sokka immediately noted the fear in his young son's voice and turned around just in time to catch the young child in his arms. Baatar had been playing outside with his cousins while Zuko and Katara watched them.

"What's going on, little buddy?" Sokka asked worriedly, cuddling the sobbing four-year-old to his chest.

"I-I didn't mean to," Baatar sobbed. "I didn't mean to."

"Shhh, it's alright, baby," Sokka assured. "You can tell me what happened."

Before Baatar could explain himself, Zuko walked in, looking shaken.

"What happened, Zuko?" Sokka asked sternly, very worried about his son who was now shaking in his arms.

"Baatar, erm, _earthbended_..." 

Sokka gaped at his best friend, certain that either he had heard wrong or Zuko was sorely mistaken. Both Sokka and Suki were nonbenders who were the children of nonbenders. The only bender in either of their immediate family's was Katara, and she was a waterbender.

" _What_ _?!_ " Sokka exclaimed, accidentally frightening his son.

"He tripped and pulled a bunch of earth from the ground," Zuko explained further. "Kya fell into it and started crying. It was a complete accident, but he seems really upset."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Baatar sobbed. "I didn't mean to hurt Kya."

Baatar had always been a very sensitive child, feeling overly guilty whenever he accidentally hurt someone.

"It's okay, buddy. It was an accident," Sokka assured again. "Why don't you explain what happened?"

Baatar sniffled and wiped his tears on his shirt.

"W-well, I was playing t-tag with 'Zumi an' Kya," he started, slowly beginning to calm down. "And then I falled and Kya almost catched up to me, and I moved the ground. An' then Kya falled into the hole and got hurt."

Sokka's face went pale.

"D-Daddy?" Baatar stammered nervously.

"Oh, erm, i-it's okay, buddy," he responded, feeling overwhelmed as Zuko led him outside.

"Oh shit," Sokka whispered, looking at the giant crater in his front yard and the pile of earth that stood beside it.

"I'll go call Toph," Zuko said, going back inside.

By late afternoon, Toph had arrived at Sokka's Fire Nation home.

"So, Captain Boomerang, Jr. is definitely an earthbender," Toph announced, strutting inside after spending several minutes with the young boy. "Congrats."

"Fuck," Sokka groaned, covering his head with his hands.

"You don't sound too happy," Toph pointed out. "What, you got a new thing against earthbenders?"

"No," Sokka rolled his eyes. "I...It's just..." he groaned again. "I don't know a thing about raising a bender, let alone an earthbender."

"And Mom and Dad knew how to raise a bender?" Katara said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no, but--" 

"But nothing," Katara said. "You are going to raise Baatar, your earthbending son, and that's that. Are you saying you don't love him anymore because he's a bender."

"Does Aang not love Bumi because he's a nonbender?" Sokka challenged fiercely, highly offended that Katara would even suggest such a thing.

"Exactly," Katara stated with finality. "You can do this, Sokka. I know you can."

Sokka sighed. "I-I just don't want to screw him up," he admitted hesitantly. "His life's already so fucked up with Suki dying the way she did."

"You'll do just fine, Sokka," Katara assured gently. "You basically raised me, Aang, and Toph all on your own when you were sixteen."

"I guess," Sokka said, feeling a tiny bit more confident as he stood up. "Now, where's my baby badgermole?"

"Baby badgermole?" Katara smirked. 

"Well, I can't call him baby otter penguin anymore, now can I?"

* * *

"Hello to you too, little inventor," Sokka nodded to his oldest grandson, as he continued to hold his son.

"Hi, Grandpa Sokka," Baatar Jr. greeted with a smile.

"I-I don't understand," Baatar Sr. said, finally letting go of his father. "What happened? W-Why are you back?"

"Wish I knew, buddy," Sokka admitted before turning to his grandson. "What happened to you, Junior? You look awful."

Su left the room, allowing Sokka some time with his son and grandson.

As she sat back down at the dinner table, there was yet another knock at the door, causing looks of confusion on everyone's faces.

"We're not expecting anyone else, are we?" Toph asked.

"Not that I know of," Su admitted, standing up again to see who it was.

She opened the door to find a young woman, seemingly of Fire Nation descent in clothing that, despite being of a very outdated style, looked clean and new.

"Good evening, ma'am," the woman said stiffly. "Have you encountered an enormously tall woman with tan skin, perhaps wearing heavy stage makeup?"

"No, I have not," Su responded feeling confused. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"I have no reason to disclose my identity to you, ma'am," the woman said defensively.

"We are having a small dinner party, perhaps one of our guests might know who you're looking for," Su suggested.

The woman stared at Su as though trying to determine whether or not she should trust her.

"Fine," she relented after several seconds.

Su led the young woman into the dining room.

"Hi, everyone," Su said encouragingly. "This young lady is looking for someone and wants to know if any of you have seen her."

The woman gave an identical explanation to the one that she had given Su.

"That kinda sounds like Kyoshi," Katara said offhandedly, causing the woman's eyes to light up.

"Yes, Kyoshi," the woman stated. "I am looking for Kyoshi."

The room went still and silent.

"She's not lying," Toph pointed out hesitantly.


End file.
